Batman Beyond: Volume 1
by Nomad88
Summary: Terry McGinnis is the new Batman on the block villains BEWARE. R/R
1. End of an Era

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT IN ANY FORM OR FASHION OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS….I REPEAT I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS ALL CREDIT GOES TO DC. THEY OWN EVERYTHING….NO MONEY IS BEING MADE OFF OF THIS STORY I PROMISE YOU SO PLEASE DON"T SUE ME…..PLEASE I HAVE NO MONEY…**

**Hello all and welcome to my new story, as I stated in my profile page I have several new stories in development and this is the second story I'm working on. The first is of course of My Amazing Spider-man story which will come before this story. I'm going to try to time it out where I'll post both of them at the same time, but if push came shove I'll probably post TSA first and then I'll come back to this one. Now just because this one is second does not mean I'm not gonna put much effort into it. Never, this is a story I've been thinking about a while also and I'm aiming for this story to be EPIC as well, so all of you readers out there I thank you for joining me. So sit back relax and enjoy….**

**Rated M- the rating should tell you everything, one last thing though Read. Review. But most importantly Enjoy**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The End of an Era**

**Gotham City Hospital: Year 2019**

A fairly young Doctor walked into a patient's room and he looked at the man that was lying in the bed. The doctor grabbed the chart that was at the foot of the man's bed and he looked it over with a curious eye. He read from the chart while looking at the man at the same time. The man in the bed was about 6'2 and weighed about 220lbs. He had jet black hair, but it was starting to gray around the sides, he had obsidian eyes and he looked to be in his late 50s early 60s. The doctor put down the chart and he jumped a little in surprise, because the patient that was supposed to be sleeping was staring back at him intensely.

"W-Where a-am I" the patient croaked out not taking his eyes off of the doctor.

"Hello Mr. Wayne, I'm Dr. Donald Johnson you are currently at Gotham Heights Hospital, you gave us quite the scare." the young Doctor replied.

"W-W-What happened"

"Mr. Wayne you suffered a massive heart attack, the type of attack you had is usually the type that most don't survive from but the fact that you did is astonishing to say the least"

"…ugh..." groaned Bruce as he struggled to sit up in his bed

"No No Mr. Wayne I'd advise against that you need to rest and looking at your chart you need about 10 years worth of nothing but rest"

"T-Thank you Doctor….but I'll let my personal physician look me over" replied Bruce while disconnecting himself from all of the machines, ignoring the Doctor's orders. "Well that is your choice but Mr. Wayne I'd advise you to stay here and get the proper treatments, according to the test we've run on you…..you've lived a rough life I've never seen any…" started the doctor before Bruce quickly snatched his chart away from the doctor

"Where are my clothes?"

"I-In the cabinet over there" the doctor said pointing at the corner. Bruce stood up out of the bed and swayed for a moment before going over to the cabinet; he opened it and took out his clothes and began to quickly dress.

* * *

**Several Minutes Later**

Bruce Wayne walked down the hallway of the hospital heading towards the exit, but just as he reached the door he turned to the left slightly and looked a very distinctive young man that was sitting in the waiting room area. The young man eyed Bruce stood up and then walked towards Bruce. He was 6'2 just like Bruce, he had jet black hair, blue eyes, and he looked to be in his late 20's or early 30s. He had a strong athletic build and he moved with a casual grace that suggested there was more to him than what he was showing. To anyone with common sense they could tell that both men were related to each other and in fact they were, the man was none other than Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne's son.

"Damian…..I'm surprised to see you here."

"Father you wound me…I'm your son I care about you well being."

"Sure you do"

"Plus since Pennyworth left there's no one else to look out for you, I at least had to come check up on you after I heard about your very public heart attack."

"Hn' Bruce grunted passing his son and heading through the exit and to the outside.

* * *

**Outside the Hospital**

The morning sun shined brightly and illuminated the high rise futuristic buildings of the massive megalopolis that is Gotham City. Robots walked the streets greeting people, and flying cars littered the air above. Bruce looked around at his city, his home and he let out a sigh.

_'More time…I need more time'_ he thought to himself as he continued to look around, much had changed about Gotham over the years but the more things changed the more they stayed the same, while Gotham City had become one of the pioneers in becoming futuristic it was still plagued with crime. Bruce was broken from his thinking by his son's voice which came from behind him.

"You know Father you haven't even said thank you…..I mean most men say thank you to their son for being there for them when…"

"Where's the car Damian?"

"…but then again you're not most men….it's this way" Damian answered turning to the right and walking down the sidewalk.

Damian led Bruce to a convertible that was hovering a few inches off the ground. Unlocking the convertible Damian got in and started up the engine. Bruce slowly got into the convertible as well and he buckled up. Damian made the convertible fly up into the air and into the busy Gotham traffic.

* * *

"So where to Father back to your depressing rotting mansion"

"…."

"Mansion it is then."

"Gotham city slums."

"What's there?"

"Just Drive." Bruce replied forcefully. Damian looked at his father and then shook his head, "If this is how you've treated Pennyworth all these years it's a wonder he didn't leave earlier" he said twisting on the steering wheel and making the car turn left and head in the direction of the slums.

* * *

**Gotham Slums: Office of Dr. Leslie Thompkins**

Dr. Leslie Thompkins was a trusted physician that knew about Bruce's double life, she was a little bit older than him but she had told him long ago that she would be a Doctor till the day that she fells over and died. Bruce was sitting in a chair in front of her desk staring into her eyes and she was staring back at him. After a few seconds of nothing but silence Dr. Thompkins broke it with three simple words that Bruce knew was coming but didn't want to hear.

"It's over Bruce"

"…surely there is something you…."

"No….there is nothing I can do Bruce…I told you that 5 years ago…..what did I say, I said you would be back here, if you didn't give up your particular lifestyle."

"I don't accept that."

"You have to Bruce…..your time as Batman is over…..you had a good run and for someone your age you are in amazing shape. I've seen you do things that should be impossible, you've pushed your mind and body to the limit, but unfortunately it has been a double edged sword. The human body can only take so much before it begins to break down and your body started breaking down 10years ago and it started with your heart." she said while turning her computer screen to him and showing him a full diagnostic of his body.

"Bruce your heart muscle tissue is almost shredded…..this is from years of having non stop adrenaline flooding your veins….years of having toxins enter your body and then you administer an antidote right after without proper medical guidance."

"I can have a hear transplant."

"It's not that simple….I took a blood sample….your blood is…is toxic…like I said it's from years of adrenaline pumping through your system non-stop and having toxins enter your body and then you giving yourself the antidote without proper guidance."

"I know how to inject an antidote Leslie." Bruce replied.

"Obviously since you're in such good health"

"So what now?"

"You need rest and medication…but the medication you need is extremely expensive…"

"You think cost is a problem for me?"

"I sure it isn't but it's not just the cost….the type of medicine you need isn't exactly on the open market for public use, and it's gonna raise a few eyebrows, but I can get it for you"

"What will the medication do?"

"It will slow down your heart degeneration…..hopefully letting you live a little longer…but that's only if you stop being Batman."

"….so nothing will stop this? That's it."

"It's irreversible…I'm sorry... It's over"

"What happens if I don't take it?"

"The heart attacks will become more and more frequent….until you have The Heart attack….the won't you won't walk away from."

Bruce looked at Leslie and he angrily stood up from his chair and headed for the door.

"BRUCE!" she shouted stopping him in his tracks, "For what it's worth…..I'm sorry…..I wish there was something I could do but there isn't….I want you to know that you've made a believer out of me…and I want to thank you for all of the good you've done…and you have done more good than harm….never let anyone tell you different."

Bruce pursed his lips into a thin line, he didn't reply but he did nod his head slightly, the two old friends captured each others eyes one last time before he opened the door and left the office.

* * *

**Later: Wayne Mansion: Bat Cave**

Located beneath the extremely lavish Mansion was the massive cavern that was the Bat- Cave. The central hub for everything involving Batman. Sitting in front his extremely large computer was Bruce who had his hands put together, he was in deep thought about his current predicament.

_'I always knew this day would come…..but it's come sooner than I expected'_ he thought to himself. Getting up from his seat he went down the steps that led to the computer and he walked through the cave, his obsidian eyes roaming over all his equipment…the batmobile, the bat-wing etc. As his eyes roamed he remembered everything, every battle….every scar….and every heartache. Over the decades of him being Batman he had collected many souvenirs from his fights. There was a giant Penny from a battle with Two-Face, a giant Dinosaur, there were swords, guns, as well as dolls and anything else one could think of; Batman has faced tons of enemies and he always kept something to remind himself of just how close to death he had come. After making a walk around the cave he came to a set of steps that led upwards and to five glass cases. Each case held a suit specifically designed for a person to wear, but one case in particular caught his eye. He walked up the steps and to the first case. Inside the case was a grey and black Nomex survival suit that had reinforced steel Kevlar woven throughout the entire frame. Attached to the suit was a black cowl with long horns at the top and a cape that flowed behind. Bruce looked at the suit and his eyes landed on the symbol in the middle of the suit. The symbol he had spent his life wearing, the symbol that had struck fear into anyone that looked at it whether they are hero, villain, God, or demon. The symbol was that of a bat, the mark that Batman wore. Bruce put his hand on the glass and closed his eyes, but his eyes suddenly snapped open as he felt a presence behind him. He whipped around to see his son Damian there with a smirk on his face. Ever since he was a kid Damian had always been good at stealth, but he had always been able to hear him. As he grew though his skills naturally grew as well. Now Damian was so good at sneaking up on people that if he didn't want to be seen or heard then he wasn't. Bruce frowned slightly as his son approached him.

"Did I scare you Father" he asked with his hands behind his back.

"…." Bruce didn't reply, he simply gave his son a hard stare.

"Of course I didn't….how could I scare the great and powerful Batman…or should I say X-Batman"

"….."

"I couldn't help but over hear your conversation with Dr. Thompkins."

"Overhear or Eavesdrop"

"You say tomato….I say tomahto, but the point however is that I'm here to tell you that I'm ready…..I'm ready to take over being Batman full time rather than this part time Bullshit. I know we've had our differences but….I'm willing to put all of it in the past and look towards the future."

Bruce gave his son a long look before he said the one word that always made Damian mad with anger.

"No"

"…What"

"I said No Damian…I changed my mind no one other than me will be Batman."

Damian's face contorted in anger and with a mighty yell he did a flying kick at Bruce, who saw it coming and side stepped the kick. Damian's foot crashed through the glass case that held the Bat suit. Bruce stepped in with a powerful side kick that lifted Damian off his feet and sent him flying back hitting the ground painfully. He sat up and he wanted to grab his stomach because of the amount of pain that he was in but he dare not show any weakness especially in front of his father.

"…Why?" Damian growled out staring at his father with rage in his eyes, "Why can't I be Batman…WHY…..I'VE PROVEN MYSELF TIME AND TIME AGAIN…..I'VE FOUGHT COUNTLESS VILLAINS, GODS AND DEMONS AND I'VE EVEN SAVED THE WORLD SINGLE HANDEDLY SO I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY…WHY CAN"T I BE WHAT I"VE BEEN TRAINING TO BE SINCE I WAS FUCKING TEN YEARS OLD…WHY OLD MAN!"

"Because you don't have the heart to be Batman."

"…..The…t-the heart…..HA!...that's laughable…you…THE KING OF HEARTLESS BASTARDS TELLING ME I DON"T HAVE THE HEART!...I'M THE ONLY ONE IN THIS DAMN CAVE THAT HAS THE HEART OF BATMAN…..but you wouldn't know what I got would Bruce…you're too busy being wrapped up the fucking past, you fail to notice present"

"…"

"You want the old days back…news flash Bruce the old days are dead…..these criminals aren't afraid of you anymore….they know that you are getting old…..times are changing it's time for a new Batman….one who can keep up"

"Do these changing times include KILLING HARVEY DENT!" shouted Bruce. Damian didn't immediately reply he looked at Bruce for a long second

"…so you know"

"How could I not"

"I didn't kill Dent…..Dent died years ago…I killed Two Face…he was going to kill thousands of people I did the only thing logical at the time." Damian replied in a low voice.

"That's why you won't be Batman….Batman isn't about killing people Damian, a fact that you can't seem to grasp…that's why I took the mantle away from you years ago and that's why I'm denying you the mantle now."

"Well Bruce, I hate to break this to you…but maybe if you had killed some of your villains instead of putting them in that joke you call a jail then you probably wouldn't be in this tomb you call a cave all by yourself."

Bruce's eyes widen a bit and then narrowed.

"…Get out" he whispered desperately trying to restrain his anger.

"Maybe if you would have done what was necessary, Dick would still be here."

"Get out"

"Or maybe Gordon."

"Get out"

"What about Drake?"

"GET OUT!" Shouted Bruce looking at Damian with a stare that almost promised certain death if he didn't do as requested, but Damian had long ago stopped being afraid of his Father, mostly because he had become one of the best fighters on the planet. Damian had even bested lady Shiva on several occasions, so if he could beat someone that his Father had a hard time beating why should he be afraid.

"All of this time…wasted…..Fine….I'm leaving…..keep your ridiculous costume, your gadgets and your legacy…I'll forge my own path and be greater than you could ever be…but before I go I want to congratulate you Bruce…..you've done what everyone thought you would do. You've pushed away everyone until there's no one left but you…which is exactly what you like right…..being alone…..enjoy your reward." said Damian as he abruptly turned and made his way out of the bat cave never to return.

Bruce watched as Damian left, and he didn't say a single word. A few minutes past and Bruce was still silently watching the exit. Balling up his fist, he walked over to his computer again and he turned it on, and the first thing that popped up was a news report.

* * *

**TV.**

"_Good Evening Gotham City I'm Chance Goodwin bringing you up to speed on everything around Gotham. First report, Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne was checked out of the hospital earlier today after suffering a heart attack last night at the annual Gotham Gala, he was unable to comment but we hope to get a statement soon. In other news that goes along with Mr. Wayne, he has once again successfully fended off a hostile takeover of his company from up and coming industrialist Derek Powers who has succeeded in taking over most of the big business in the greater Gotham area. I had a chance to sit down and talk with Mr. Powers about his hostile takeovers and this is what he had to say:_

* * *

_Derek Powers: I came from a poor background and from the time I was 8 yrs old I told myself that I want it all….I want to sit at the top, and I've spent my life trying to adhere to that promise I made to myself all those years ago….._

* * *

"_More on that interview later. We now take you to our more recent report 20 year old socialite Bunny Vreeland daughter to famous singer/model Veronica Vreeland is still being held hostage at an unknown location, but not even a minute ago we have received word that the Gotham PD has just received the ransom and a location. They want 80 million credits delivered to an abandoned theater in Gotham's Broadway district…._

* * *

Bruce didn't hear the rest of the report because he was already out of his chair and rushing up to the steps that led to the glass cases again. He passed the recently broken case and the other cases until he arrived at the last one. He opened the last case and took out the new and improved Bat suit, and began to gear up. If one were to look at this Bat suit they could tell it was completely different from any other type of suit. This one was state of the art, complete with new and cutting edge technology, courtesy of Wayne Tech and the last gift from the late Lucious Fox. The new Bat suit was midnight black, and unlike the other bat suits this one covered the entire body even the chin and eyes. The eyes were covered with white reflective lens that could be used to see different spectrum's of light, the suit had a blood red Bat Symbol in the middle of the chest along with pockets built into eliminating the need for his old utility belt. Once he had finished dressing Bruce Wayne ceased to be and Batman took over.

* * *

Batman ran towards the batmobile, which had also gone through an upgrade of sorts. It was sleeker and more durable than any of its earlier models. This batmobile had no wheels because it could fly in the air, it had sensors built into it that could be controlled by the bat suit he was wearing. Batman jumped into the batmobile while simultaneously turning it on. It roared to life and then lifted off the ground. Pulling a lever in the vehicle the boosters let off a loud boom and the batmobile zoomed out of the bat cave at break neck speeds and into the crisp Gotham Night sky.

* * *

**Gotham PD**

"Strike Team are you ready?" came the voice of a woman

"YES SERGEANT!" the police strike team replied.

"GORDON!"

"Yes Commissioner" the woman replied turning around.

"Is your team ready to go?"

"Yes Sir they are."

"Alright once I hear word from the first team, I'll send your squad off…remember Gordon this is a team effort no more of your lone wolf bullshit….GOT ME!"

"…yes sir" she responded with narrow eyes.

Barbara Gordon stood at 5'8 with medium length red hair, vibrant green eyes, and a light tan skin complexion; she was an extremely attractive woman in her mid to late thirties. Barbara had an athletic lithe type of build that she had gained through years of practicing martial arts. Looking at her one would say she was a normal woman, but she was far from normal. What most people didn't know was that Barbara has gone by many names in the past. In her youth she was known as the original Batgirl one of the many partners/sidekicks to the revered Batman, but if anyone ever called her a sidekick they usually received a punch to the face. Along with being known as Batgirl, she has also been the Oracle, the superhero communities number 1 info jock and no one could surpass her skills with a computer. She had became the Oracle after a horrendous incident mid way in her career as Batgirl an incident she still has nightmares about till this day. Nowadays though she is known as Sergeant Barbara Gordon of the Gotham PD and one of the best damn cops to have ever served on the force, just like her father most would say, the late and great commissioner James Gordon.

**BEEP! BEEP!** Went Barbara's cell phone. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her cell and looked at the caller ID and she saw a number that she knew by heart.

Barbara looked around and saw that no one was looking at her so she slipped away and into an empty office and shut the door.

* * *

**In the Office**

"What is it Bruce?"

"What's the situation Barbara?"

"…..Hostage situation…..the perps have the girl at the…" she started before being interrupted.

"Spare me the rhetoric Barbara; if I want that I'll watch the news"

"…..Leslie called me earlier Bruce…..I know about your heart"

"Don't worry about my heart, worry about the girl"

"Look I have the situation under control I'm handling it…we….I don't need Batman's help"

"Barbara."

"Bruce leave this to the authorities…leave it to me"

"Barbara.."

"Good bye Bruce" she said hanging up the phone _'I'm sorry'_ she thought to herself, leaving the office.

* * *

**Batmobile**

"BARBARA! Dammit…computer…..Gotham PD….bring up layout…..turn on Bat bug alpha"

The computer in the batmobile gave a beep and every voice in the Gotham police department could be heard loud and clear.

"Computer, Voice isolation Barbara Gordon"

* * *

**Gotham PD**

"Alright Gordon lay out the plan for me one more time" said the Commissioner

"Okay….this is the plan two teams my strike team and the drop team. The drop team drops the money at the fake site that the kidnappers gave us… while my strike and I head to the abandoned air field"

"How did you find out that they were at the air field again?" the Commissioner asked.

"Because I traced the call and I'm very good with machines" Barbara replied.

"I like it…let's do it. They said they want the money by 10:30pm and it's 10:00 we're against the clock people…LET"S MOVE IT"

"YES SIR!" they all responded.

* * *

**Batmobile**

"Computer set a course for the abandoned air field…and switch to stealth silent mode" said Batman. The batmobile engine suddenly went quiet and the vehicle itself turned invisible and sped off towards the destination.

* * *

**Abandoned Air Field**

The batmobile quickly reached its destination and hovered in the air over the airfield.

"Computer scan for heat signatures" Batman commanded.

The viewing screen switched to heat signature mode and started scanning the whole air field and on the far side of the field in on the large hangers that housed several small airplanes were seven heat signatures. Batman directed the batmobile to the bunker and hovered over it. He pulled two levers in the ceiling of the batmobile and the bottom opened. Batman fell out of the batmobile, he spread his arms and red glider wings opened under his arms and allowed him to glide down to the roof.

* * *

Landing on the roof Batman silently went towards the skylight and looked inside. He saw there were six men with guns standing by one of the small planes. He then saw the hostage Bunny Vreeland tied to a pole.

* * *

**Inside the Hanger**

"Alright boys let's pack it up, the cops are at the drop point with the money, load her on the plane" said a guy in a brown jacket who was obviously the leader.

"HEY!" Bunny yelled.

"WHAT!" the leader shouted back

"My mother paid you guys right…..you said the cops have the money so let me go" she demanded.

"Sorry sweetheart but letting you go was never the plan….the money was so the cops won't be watching the skies as we fly you out of the country"

"What!?"

The leader of the group lit a cigarette and walked towards Bunny who drew her legs up to her chest in fright. The guy leaned down close to here face and blew smoke at her.

"Ugh…..gross" she said turning her face to the side.

"You see sweetheart it like this your mother is quite the heartbreaker, apparently she broke some rich bastards heart and he doesn't take rejection so well so he hired us to kidnap you and bring you to him."

"What's he gonna do to me?" she asked fright evident in her voice.

"Don't' know and don't care but judging how much he hates your mother and how good looking you are it probably wont' be anything pleasant" he said blowing out more smoke and standing up and turning back towards the plane where the rest of his crew were loading their things aboard.

* * *

Batman opened the skylight and dropped in undetected. Blending in with the shadows he surveyed the area and quickly decided upon a plan of action. One of the guys was in range and with quick speed he rushed from the shadows and delivered a powerful teeth rattling punch that lifted him off his feet and sent him bouncing into the plane hard. The other guys turned to the sound and they saw Batman in all his intimidating glory.

"IT"S THE BAT!" one of them yelled.

They each pulled out there guns and tried to shoot, but Batman held out his hands and two batarangs emerged from the wrist and he threw them with pin point accuracy. The batarangs flew towards the thugs and knocked their weapons away. One of the guns skidded across the ground and landed next to a gasoline barrel. Batman seeing that they were disarmed rushed towards the five of them. He kicked the first guy in the stomach, from there he grabbed the guy by the collar and threw him into another thug and they both went down to the ground hard. Batman then jumped into the air with a flying kick that nailed the next guy square in the nose knocking him out cold. After seeing Batman knock out three guys in the span of 5 seconds one of the remaining two guys tried to run away. Batman looking over his shoulder and saw the guy attempting to run. Reaching into a silver pocket built into the bat suit he pulled out a batarang that had wire attached to it, and then he threw it. The wire wrapped around the guys legs and then his whole body making him fall to the ground. Batman turned to face the last man which was the leader. The leader of the thugs was shaking in fear; he looked around and then bent down and picked up a crow bar.

"STAY BACK!" he yelled

Batman stalked towards his prey, but just as he reached him he let out a sudden yell of pain. Batman fell to a knee clutching his chest in agony. The guy saw Batman fall and for a second he was stunned but once the second passed he immediately took advantage of the situation. He brought the crow bar back and hit Batman with all his might in the chin. The force of the blow sent Batman rolling across the ground towards some gasoline barrels. The leader ran over to the downed Batman and began to hit him over and over with the crow bar.

* * *

"ACK!" went Batman still clutching his chest in pain and the beating that the guy was giving him wasn't helping him.

"Not so tough now are you Bats" he taunted hitting him with the crow bar again, "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT BATMAN!" he yelled, "EVER SINCE I WAS YOUNG, GUYS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING IT HARD FOR GUYS LIKE ME TO MAKE A LIVING!" he shouted hitting Batman again and again and again.

Batman was paying the guy no attention as he hit him, his suit absorbed most of the blows he was receiving, his sole focus was on his chest, it was unlike anything he had ever felt before….the pain was mind numbingly unbearable. Cracking open his swelling eye he looked to his left and saw a gun lying within his range.

'_N-N-No….ARGH_!' he thought before being struck by the crow bar again. Having no other choice he weakly reached out for the gun; he grabbed the weapon and turned it upon the leader, who froze in mid swing with fear.

"Whoa….easy…..wait….B-Batman doesn't shoot people"

Batman responded by cocking the gun. The thugs eyes widen and he immediately dropped the crow bar and took off for the exit.

* * *

Batman gritted his teeth and looked at the gun in his hands. He turned away in shame and threw the gun away. The weapon slid across the hangar and away from him. He still in pain from his sudden heart attack but despite that he fought his way to his feet and slowly made his way to Bunny Vreeland.

"A-A-Are you alright" he struggled to say while untying her hands

"Yeah but are you" she asked rubbing her sore hands.

**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!** went the sounds of several police cars pulling up outside of the hangar.

"What was that?" Bunny asked in fear.

"T-The p-police are here" replied Batman pain still evident in his voice. Bunny turned to look at the hangar opening to see several police officers rush into the hangar and to her.

"Thank you Bat…" she started to say while turning to face him but she stopped because he had vanished.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? Barbara asked/ shouted rushing into the hangar and towards Bunny.

"Yeah I'm fine Bat…."

"Batman… right" Barbara interrupted as she looked around and saw the down thugs. Her eyes traveled upwards and to the open skylight.

"Yeah he showed up, but he got hurt really bad"

"I wouldn't worry too much about him…he'll be fine…trust me. Okay boys arrest these guys…Ms. Vreeland let's get you back to your mother" Barbara said softly.

* * *

**Much Later: Bat Cave**

A haggard and bandaged Bruce Wayne stood before the glass case that held the new cutting edge bat suit inside. He had the mask in his hands and he was looking at it intensely. His mind was going over the events of the airfield and even though he saved Bunny Vreeland he kept coming to the part where he held the gun in his hand…poised and ready to kill that thug if need be. When he first put on the mask and became Batman he promised himself two things: The first was to never kill…..he needed to be better than the scum that he fought, and the second rule was to never use a gun, which is why he spent a decade training his body to be a weapon, but tonight he had broken that very rule.

Staring at the mask Bruce furrowed his brows and then placed the mask on the mannequin and then closed the case.

"No more" he said to himself. After tonight he knew it was over. He walked down the steps and went over to the bat computer and he typed a few key strokes into the computer. One by one the lights in the bat cave began to shut off. Bruce briefly glanced behind himself and he saw the lights over the batmobile shut off, he saw the lights over the various memorabilia in the cave shut off leaving only two lights…the bat computer and the lights over the Bat-suits. Lifting his hand he pressed on last button and the bat computer turned off. Bruce walked through the darkness and towards the staircase that would take him out of the cave. As he was going up the stairs his eyes were drawn to the single light in the cave and it was the light over the cases full of bat-suits. Reaching the top he turned and looked at the darken cave one last time unconsciously balling up his fist. He pursed his lips and slowly turned around and continued out of the cave, just as the final light in the cave went out, and just like that…. after decades of countless battles, testing his mind, body, and spirit… after decades of being apart of something bigger than himself, decades after being one part of the Dynamic duo, being the Caped Crusader and the often feared Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne's time…his era as Batman had officially come.. to an end.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review**. **Hey readers it is me Nomad88. This is the first chapter to the newly revised Batman Beyond Volume 1. As many of you readers know my flash drive with this story on it has been destroyed so now I have to go back and copy/paste each chapter so I'll have a back up but while I'm doing that I took the liberty to do some major revision…correcting numerous mistakes I made during the first go round…with the new revisions I'm hoping to attract new readers and I pray that you old readers go back and see where I've expanded on a few things hopefully making this story that much more EPIC! Anyway thanks for being patient with me and while I'm doing the revision I'm actively working on finishing this story which has only like 2 more chapters left. Anyway I hope all of you enjoyed the chapter and if you have any questions comments, rants, or raves feel free to leave it in the review or just send me a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying later…**

**Ps: Just so we are Clear I do not own any of these characters they all belong to DC…again I do not own any thing….DC does…..just so we are clear**.

**Next Up: The Dark Knight Reborn pt 1. **


	2. The Dark Knight Reborn Pt 1

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN any of these characters, ALL CREDIT goes to DC….they are the owners of everything that involves Batman not me….Just so we are clear…anyway onto the story. **

**Hello readers and welcome back I'm glad that I've gotten positive feedback from the first chapter and I'm Beyond happy that everyone is enjoying my take on this universe. Now I know all of you don't want to hear me talking…..so just let me say this last couple of things…Read. Review. And most importantly enjoy…**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Dark Knight Reborn pt1**

**Neo-Gotham City: 2041- 22 Years Later**

**TV**

_Hello and good morning Neo-Gotham, this is Tom Monroe and my co-host Kim Brooms and we are bringing you the news. _

_Tom: It was a night of unrest as the insane Bomber Man Stan struck again this time he blew up several religious buildings and churches claiming that he was liberating the people from the mind controlling religious factions. There were estimated to be about 20 fatalities and dozens more injured. We tried to get a statement from Commissioner Barbara Gordon but all she had to say was no comment…Kim. _

_Kim: Thanks Tom….In other news there was a violent outbreak between The Jokerz gang and the Knightbreed syndicate; this makes the fourth outbreak in the past month. This time both sides suffered heavy causalities, the police have been hard pressed to keep these outbreaks of violence in check, but there is only so much they can do…We again tried to reach Commissioner Barbara Gordon for a comment but again all she had to say was no comment…..Tom_

_Tom: On a lighter note District Attorney Sam Young has just recently announced his plans to run for mayor and I can tell you right now Kim that he has my vote. _

_Kim: Mine too Tom….In other news the multi-billion dollar company Wayne-Powers celebrated its 22nd anniversary. 22 years ago Bruce Wayne and Derek Powers put aside their differences and combined their companies into one and Neo- Gotham has prospered financially because of their teamwork, so HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Wayne-Powers and here's to many more. There is a gala being held tonight, but whether or not recluse Bruce Wayne will attend is anyone's guess, but more on that later…._

* * *

**Wayne-Powers: Meeting Room**

The meeting room was filled with men and women who were top notch investors in the Wayne-Powers company. Usually they only meet once every few months, but there was an emergency meeting called, and everyone was expected to show up. The meeting in question was called by the man that had his back to the investors and stood looking out of the large window and that man's name was: **Derek Powers**.

Derek Powers was 6'0 ft tall, had green eyes, tan skin with a clean shaven face and white-grayish hair. He was a man that was in his mid to late forties. Derek had an athletic slim build that suggested that he kept himself in good shape by working out regularly; he was dressed in an extremely expensive Neo-Italian green and black business suit. Derek had his back to the people in the room and was looking out of the window at the futuristic city of Neo-Gotham. He had a smirk on his face as his eyes roamed over the flying cars, the robotic traffic guards, the schools, and billboards. Neo-Gotham was his city….his, he had a hand in building the majority of Neo-Gotham and he saw this city as his kingdom and he as its King, but in actuality he wasn't a true King. Kings don't share their kingdoms and upon that thought his mind drifted to his most hated enemy Bruce Wayne, who was absent from the meeting room. The old man continued to be a thorn in his side and kept holding him back from truly owning Gotham, but Derek smiled to himself, mostly because after the meeting he was about to have Bruce Wayne would no longer going to be an issue.

"U-Uh…..Mr. Powers….y-you…u-uh called us here for…a…." started one of the investors, but he stopped, because Derek turned to face him and stared at him with those piecing green eyes that clearly stated that he better stop talking before something unpleasant happened. Derek turned his gaze back to the window and then he took in a deep breathe while turning to face the rest of the people in the meeting room.

"Yes…..Yes I called this emergency meeting with all of you for one reason. I wanted to talk to all of you about my partner of sorts….Mr. Wayne. I believe it's time that we vote to push him out".

"Mr. Powers…..that's a bold statement…..why would we want to vote Wayne out" asked an investor.

"One word….Progress" said Derek putting emphasis on the word and leaning on the desk, "Now I'm not going to lie, we an exceptionally good year this year, but ladies and gentlemen we could've done so much better. I'll give you an example. Just a few months ago Queen Industries was on the verge of bankruptcy due to that old fool Oliver Queen squandering his money on those ridiculous idiots in costume the Justice league and on God knows what else, but he was ripe for the taking, but instead of seizing control on his company…..Wayne decides to bail him out. Now Queen is on the rise again, and could potentially be a threat in the latter years."

"Mr. Powers, that's a bit of a stretch. I mean Queen is good but he can't' catch up to us."

"It's that type of thinking Roger, that let's the weak beat the strong…..underestimation…..is the name of the game people, it is a powerful tool. Need I remind all of you of how Lex Luthor tried to worm his way in here and steal this company but thanks to him underestimating me, I was able to fend him off. I did that….Not Wayne…so ladies and gentlemen please believe me when I say that I know what's best for this company, and the best thing right now is push Wayne out, and put me in total control. I can take this company to places you can only dream about, but I can't do that if I'm being held back…It's time for some new management" said Derek.

**KNOCK! KNOCK!** Went the sound of someone knocking on the meeting doors.

"I'M HAVING A MEETING!" shouted Derek, but that didn't deter the person from opening the door.

The man that came in through the double doors was a monster of a man. He stood at an intimidating 6'4 and had a broad chest that suggested that he worked out heavily. He had had brown skin, braids in his hair, and a scowl on his face, but what really drew the attention to this man was his left eye. His eye was missing and in its place was a solid white pupiless replacement eye and along his left eye socket was a long jagged scar.

"I know you're in a meeting but surely you can make an exception for me Mr. Powers" came the man's deep baritone voice.

"Of course I can make an exception for you Mr. Fixx…Ladies and Gentlemen I believe I've said enough for today but do think about what I've suggested" said Derek clearly indicating that the meeting was over. The investors quickly stood up from there seats and they all made their way out of the meeting room leaving the two men alone in the room.

* * *

Derek looked at his right hand man **Mr. Fixx** and smirked. Mr. Fixx was a man that Derek specifically hired to _'Fix"_ certain problems that arose from time to time and he was an extremely reliable and efficient right hand man.

"Mr. Fixx, I trust that my little problem has been taken care of."

"Almost Mr. Powers, 1 scientist got away a Douglas Erchin."

"Then why aren't you out there looking for him?"

"Are you suggesting that I don't know how to do my job" asked Mr. Fixx in a low tone. Derek looked into Mr. Fixx's eyes and then he smirked.

"Of course not…forgive my accusation, where is Douglas now?"

"He's here at Wayne-Powers; somewhere in the building. I have my best men searching every inch of this place, he will be found of that you can be sure."

"Good and when you do find him please bring him to me first" said Derek turning and going back to the window, and taking in another deep breathe. Mr. Fixx watched Derek with a curious eye.

"Mr. Powers….I usually don't get into an employer's affairs, but you seem frustrated." "You're right Mr. Fixx I am." Derek replied.

"Maybe it's a problem I can fix for you" he said with a smirk of his own.

"Thanks for the offer, but this problem requires a little more finesse and I have my other problem fixer handling it, but it seems she's taking her sweet time"

"Wh….." started Mr. Fixx, but before he could respond a voice that seemed to echo from everywhere in the room interrupted him.

"You know it's not nice to talk about someone behind their back…especially if that person could be listening"

"What was that?" asked Mr. Fixx looking around reaching into his suit jacket for his hidden weapon

"Not what Mr. Fixx, but who…show yourself Inque"

The shadow of a fake plant on the far side of the meeting room began to move on it's own towards the two men. Mr. Fixx's eyes widen and he pulled out his high caliber gun from his suit and aimed it at the approaching shadow.

"That's not gonna help you big boy" said the shadow as it began to rise from the ground. The black ooze/ shadow began to take shape and it took the shape of a very sultry, curvaceous, and seductive woman. She stood at 5'9, and she had a beautiful face, it looked to be a shade of gray but it only added to her allure. She was wearing a midnight black outfit that seemed to be moving or shifting if you looked real close.

"Mr. Fixx this is my other problem solver…**Inque**"

"A pleasure to meet you" said Mr. Fixx taking her hand and attempting to kiss it, but her hand formed into a tentacle and wrapped around his hand; with a mighty tug she tossed him and he flew across the room and smacked into the wall hard. He slid down the wall and landed with a thud.

"Omph" Mr. Fixx grunted as he landed.

"You can look but don't ever touch" she said making her tentacle form into her hand again.

"Inque place nice" said Derek wit a smirk

"…..feisty…I like that" said Mr. Fixx as he slowly rose from the ground while cracking his neck.

"You wanted to see me Powers" she replied turning to face Derek and leaning against the table.

"Yes I did, why the hell is Wayne still alive…you were supposed to take care of him….days ago."

"I was going to…I was about to kill him….and then I realized something" she said innocently

"What did you realize?"

"I realize that I wanted more money." She replied deviously

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I want more money for this job…considering I have a reputation to uphold….how would it look on my resume…..Professional thief, Saboteur, oh and on occasion she likes to knock off old defenseless men. In my line of work reputation is everything."

"We had a deal Inque I don't give a shit about your reputation" Derek snapped.

"Which is exactly why I'm changing the terms of our deal."

"You don't change my deals" Derek stated with an edge in his voice and a scowl on his face.

"Save your angry eyes for one of your underlings Powers, I'm not afraid of you" Inque said with a wave of her hand.

"You should be Inque."

"But I'm not…..if you want Wayne dead all you have to do is agree to my price change."

"I will not be extorted Inque….we agreed on a set price and that's the only thing you're gonna get"

"Then I guess Bruce Wayne lives another day…be seeing you Powers…..you have my number" she said before turning her body into black ooze again and slithering through a vent in the ceiling. Derek watched her with a hard stare leave the meeting room and once he was sure she was gone he turned his gaze to the approaching Mr. Fixx.

"Interesting company you keep" said Mr. Fixx

"She is becoming a major pain in my ass….this isn't the first time she's tried to change the parameters of my deals and it certainly won't be the last"

"Use someone else then"

"Not that simple she knows too much…...Mr. Fixx how would you like to fix another problem for me, once you've recover Mr. Erchin"

"I would be delighted Mr. Powers" Mr. Fixx replied with a knowing smile.

**BEEP! BEEP!** Went Mr. Fixx's phone, he took it out and answered it.

"What is it…..good I'll be there in a second."

"Well?" Derek asked.

"We found him…..Lab A, west wing"

* * *

**Lab A: West Wing- Wayne Powers**

"Mary get off of my back okay I didn't forget, I'm on the way out of the Lab now….I'll be there to get him alright" said Warren McGinnis over the phone to his ex-wife Mary McGinnis. Warren stood at 5'11, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a mustache. He had an average build and the only thing really special about him was that he was a brilliant scientist with exceptional skills in computers. He had been working for Derek Powers for the last five years, right after Derek seized control of his small computer company.

"Mary I'm hanging up now, alright….I'm hanging up…..bye" he said closing his phone and letting out a sigh of frustration. He stood up from his work station and took off his lab coat. He put his coat on a rack and he proceeded to the exit but just as he left through the door a man his height and age ran right into him and they both went tumbling to the ground.

"What the Hell…...Douglas!" Warren exclaimed looking at the man on the ground next to him, "What happened to you I haven't seen you since your so called promotion" Warren continued, but while he was talking Douglas was in no shape or form listening to him. He was frantically searching the ground around them for something.

"Douglas?"

"There it is" Douglas said while crawling over towards Warren's feet and picking up a small compact disc.

"Douglas what the hell is wrong with you?" asked curious about his friends odd behavior.

Douglas looked up at Warren and then grabbed him by the front of his jacket and pulled him close.

"Warren shut the fuck up and listen to me….take this disc and get it to the police…..or the mayor or someone…..it is the utmost of importance….please do this for me and do it right now…" he said thrusting the disc into Warren's hands.

"Douglas….I-I"

"WARREN PLEASE!"

"MR. ERCHIN!" shouted a voice. Both men turned to see Mr. Fixx standing down the hall with several men in white and black armored outfits with sophisticated guns in their hands.

"You and I need to talk Mr. Erchin immediately" Mr. Fixx said in a dangerously low voice.

Warren quickly put the disc in his pocket just as the armored men approached the two of them. The armored guards roughly grabbed a visibly frightened Douglas Erchin and hoisted him to his feet, but when they grabbed him his shirt lifted up slightly and Warren got a look at his skin. Douglas's skin was covered in deep thick black burns of some sort and they appeared to be spreading across his chest. Warren did a double take at the sight of the burns before rising to his feet.

"Wait where are you taking him?" Warren asked the armored men but they remained silent. Mr. Fix turned to him and took a step forward.

"That is none of your concern" he said in his dangerous low voice. Warren hearing the edge took a small step back.

"Well….then what's wrong with him?"

"What makes you think there is something is wrong with him?" Mr. Fixx countered

"…..n-nothing I just…"

"Did he say something to you that would suggest something...?"

"NO!...no he didn't say anything" replied Warren quickly, but just a tad too quickly.

"What is your name sir…..I'm Mr. Fixx head of security here at Wayne Powers"

"I'm…..uh….McGinnis…..Dr. Warren McGinnis"

"Well Dr. McGinnis I suggest you be on your way and let me deal with Mr. Erchin….I also suggest that you do not mention this incident to anyone….security reasons, you understand."

"Uh….sure" replied Warren nervously. Mr. Fixx and his men walked away with a fearful Douglas in tow. Warren stood in his spot for a few minutes before swallowing hard and releasing a sigh.

'_Dammit Douglas….just what the hell have you gotten yourself into'_ he thought while touching the pocket with the compact disc inside. Warren then looked down at his watch and his eyes widen in shock '_SHIT! TERRY_!" he thought again before breaking out into a run that would take him to an elevator that would lead him out of the building.

* * *

**Neo- Gotham Courthouse**

In the futuristic court room a judge sat at his overly large bench listening to District Attorney Sam Young attempt to get ruthless Jokerz gang leader Victor Tutelio's parole revoked.

"Judge Sheer I urge you to revoke this man's parole, he has in no way been rehabilitated….I have here in my hands numerous calls to unidentified numbers that coincide with numerous acts of murders, disappearances, and violence scattered throughout Neo-Gotham."

Sam Young stood at 6'0 ft and he was a brown skinned man in his mid to late fifties. He had an athletic build that suggested his age didn't hinder him from being physically active. Sam was a respected District Attorney in Neo-Gotham, a man that had a reputation of truly caring about serving the people and the entire city in general. He was a well liked people person and the public adored him. He was good soul…a good person and usually good people attract other good people, and the venerable Sam Young attracted the attention of one Barbara Gordon Young, his wife of 22 years. Barbara was sitting in the one of the rows in the courtroom watching her husband hard at work. She still looked the same only she had aged about 20years. Her hair was still fiery red but it had several wisps of gray hair showing and even she was a woman in her mid to late 50's that in no way dwindled her good looks.

Barbara was now the Commissioner of the Neo-Gotham Police Department, but instead of sitting in her office doing paper work like she was supposed to she was in the court room keeping a close eye on her husband. Sam was excellent at his job of putting away criminals and low life's alike but as a result he was often the target of assassination attempts and lately the number of attacks has risen. So whenever he had a high profile case such as this one, she wanted to be present to scout out the people in the courtroom and in the area…just to be safe. Barbara looked to her right and saw a few unscrupulous people in the rows behind Victor and they were people who were known to be associates of his when he was the led the Jokerz gang.

The Jokerz gang was just like it sounded; a gang of individuals who idolized the notoriously insane clown prince of crime…better known to her as **the Joker**.

* * *

"Counselor Young, I've heard enough you've made you point and I'm in full agreement…Victor Tutelio your parole is hear by revoked" said the Judge banging his gavel.

"WHAT! NO!" yelled Victor in anger.

"Bailiff…please take Mr. Tutelio away." The bailiff walked over and grabbed Victor by the arm and started to take him away.

"THIS ISN'T OVER! BOTH OF YOU ARE DEAD DO YOU HEAR ME... DEAD!...LONG LIVE THE JOKER…JOKER! JOKER! JOKER! JOK…" shouted Victor as he was dragged away and out of the courtroom. The unscrupulous people that Barbara saw got up from their seats and left the courtroom but none of them seemed happy. The judge banged his gavel again.

"NEXT CASE!"

"Judge Sheer, the next case is the people of Neo Gotham vs. Terrence McGinnis" said another Bailiff reading from a computer pad.

A Bailiff came through a door with young Terrence McGinnis in tow.

"Hey…my name is Terry, not Terrance." he said as he entered the courtroom in the standard orange jumpsuit that all prisoners wear along with a matching set of handcuffs.

Terry McGinnis was 18yrs old, he stood at 5'11 with an athletic strong build, jet black hair, as well as obsidian eyes. He was a very good looking young man one could say if it wasn't for the orange jumpsuit and handcuffs most would say. The Bailiff brought Terry over to stand in front of the judge's desk and right next to Sam Young.

"Terrence McGinnis you have been a ward of the Gotham Juvenile corrections since you were 13 years old. The reason being is that you stole a car and crashed it through a mall where 15 people were seriously injured and you caused thousands of credits worth of damage. You were briefly paroled when you were 16, but you returned to juvenile 5 months later for Assault and Battery, you beat up one of your teachers and put another student in the hospital with a broken jaw….now you….."

"They started it and I finished it." Terry interrupted.

"Be quiet Mr. McGinnis. Now you still have about 3 years left on your sentence, but due to the increase in numbers of juvenile delinquents a select few are being let go under probationary circumstances."

"Lucky Me"

"The rules Mr. McGinnis of your probation stipulate that you must get a job, enroll in school, and check in with a probation officer periodically, and the officer is of the DA's choosing…..now Mr. McGinnis this is entirely up to you, do you accept these terms or do you want to serve the rest of your three year sentence in Neo-Gotham Penitentiary. You've aged out of Juvenile with you recently turning 18."

Terry's eyes widen at the judge's last statement, Juvie was hard enough but now he would be sent to another prison facing more challenges than Juvenile ever offered, so with that thought in mind Terry quickly made his decision.

"Yeah I accept" he answered.

"Good….does the DA accept the terms I have stated" asked the Judge. Sam turned to look at Terry and they both looked at each other for a long minute, brown eyes staring into black. Sam let out a sigh before he turned back to the judge.

"Sir…The people of Neo-Gotham accept the judges terms of Mr. McGinnis's release."

"Excellent….now…..Terry….is your legal guardian here to sign you out?" Judge sheer asked.

Terry turned around and didn't see anyone he recognized.

"Uh….."

Just then the doors to the court room opened and Warren McGinnis came rushing inside.

"Excuse me Sir Court is in session" said the Judge

"I know…I know…I'm Warren McGinnis I'm Terrence's father"

'_Unfortunately_' Terry thought as his father came to stand right beside him.

"You're late Mr. McGinnis"

"I know I'm sorry I was at work"

'_What else is new Dad'_ Terry thought again.

"Well now that you are here you can sign for your son…..Bailiff" said the Judge. The Bailiff came over with the computer pad and he held it in front of Warren who put his hand on the pad. The pad flashed green and then beeped. The bailiff walked back to the judge where the judge put his hand on the pad and it flashed green again. The Judge then smiled and banged his gavel.

"Congratulations Terry…..welcome back to society"

* * *

**1 Hour Later**

Terry McGinnis walked out of the courthouse and he took in a deep breathe of afternoon air.

"Ahhh…..nothing like fresh air" he said, but just then a flying truck passed by letting out a giant fog of black smoke.

"_cough_…._cough_…" went Terry "At least it's fresher than that cell I was in…and the guy I was sharing it with"

"Hopefully you'll stay out of it this time" said his father who walking out of the courthouse. Warren McGinnis came to stand right next to his son and he looked at him with a serious expression on his face.

"I'll try my best Dad" Terry replied sarcastically.

* * *

A few feet away from Terry and Warren, Barbara and Sam both walked out of the courthouse together. Immediately as they stepped outside Barbara began looking in every direction for a potential threat or danger.

"Oh would you stop that Barbara"

"What?"

"Well I've been talking to you for the past 5 minutes and you haven't said a word…You've been doing the whole bloodhound thing looking for trouble…I doubt you were even listening"

"I was listening." She replied scoffing a little.

"Oh really then what did I say?"

"Uh…..you said that….um something about….okay okay you caught me….I wasn't listening I was searching for threats….Sam you narrowly escaped an attempt on your life two weeks ago…I'm just trying to look out for you"

"I know Barbara….I know…..which is why I wasn't talking at all." He said smiling.

"Wait….you were teasing me"

"Yeah I was….I love it when you get in your police mode, searching for any sign of trouble….it's very cute"

"Oh really….is it just cute" she replied stepping closer to him.

"Okay….maybe it's a little more than cute"

"More than cute" she said leaning even closer

"Okay…you got me it's down right sexy" he said, and just as their lips almost met, their moment was broken by a yell.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT….I"M NOT LIVING WITH YOU!" shouted Terry at his father. Barbara looked to her right and saw him arguing with his father.

* * *

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU"RE TALKING TO ME TERRENCE"

"TERRY! MY NAME IS TERRY! DO NOT HEAR ME WHEN I TALK…wait a minute what am I talking about…you never listen to me or to anyone" Terry threw out.

"What are you talking about I always listen to you" Warren threw back.

* * *

"Some family" said Barbara, just as her phone began to ring, she pulled it out of the brown trenchcoat she was wearing and answered it.

"Yeah this Gordon….alright…..I'll be there in 10 minutes don't do anything until I get there" she said while hanging up her phone, "I gotta go Sam"

"I know I heard….but it's alright I have to go too I got 3 more cases but they shouldn't take too long."

"Hopefully mine won't take long either and I can get home early for a change" she replied rubbing her neck.

"Yeah you've been working late this whole week and it's getting kinda lonely at the house without you"

"Hopefully you won't be alone tonight." She replied.

"I hope so because I've been doing some reading in this karma sutra book that my brother gave me….and it has some interesting moves that I would like to give a try…but it only works if you're there" he said biting his lip a bit and smiling.

"Oh I will definitely be there then" she said leaning in and kissing her husband passionately. After about a minute they separated and continued to smile at each other, "I'll see you later" she said breaking away and going down the steps of the courthouse.

* * *

"BE CAREFUL!" Sam yelled out watching her go down the steps. Barbara was going to her car when she heard loud laughing. Looking up she saw the guys from the courtroom come flying overhead on hover bikes only this time they were wearing white makeup with red lipstick going across their mouths in the design of a smile. One of guys pulled out a mini rocket launcher and aimed it at Sam.

"HEY YOUNG! TIME TO DIE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" one them yelled out while laughing. The guy with the rocket launcher pulled the trigger and let the rocket fly.

"SAM!" yelled Barbara in fear turning and trying to run towards her husband. D.A. Sam Young saw the rocket coming but he was frozen with fear.

'_No' he_ thought as the rocket came closer and closer.

"MOVE!" came a loud shout. Sam looked to his left and saw Terry McGinnis come running into view. Terry barreled into Sam into him getting them both out of the way just as the rocket hit.

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

Barbara pulled out her gun and started shooting at the hovering Jokerz. They started to return fire but then more police cars started to arrive.

"COPS!" they shouted as they revved up their engines and sped off into the sky.

"DAMMIT!" growled Barbara in anger as she watched them escape. She cursed once more under her breath and then turned to the courthouse and frantically started to search for her husband.

* * *

**Wayne Powers: Derek's Office**

Derek and Mr. Fixx were both sitting and watching the security feed of the conversation between Douglas and Warren.

"I want that disc Mr. Fixx…I want it now, if word got out as to what's on that disc then I'll be ruined…and I can't have that now can I" said Derek anger evident in his voice.

"Don't worry about it Mr. Powers…..I'll fix everything."

"See that you do."

"What about McGinnis…what shall I do with him?"

"Kill him…I can't leave any potential witnesses" Derek replied without hesitation.

"Very Well" said Mr. Fixx swiftly leaving the office and leaving Derek by himself staring at the security video.

* * *

**Neo- Gotham Hospital: Exam room 12: 7:00pm**

"Well Mr. McGinnis your son is fine, a few bumps and bruises but nothing serious you can leave whenever you want" said the Doctor standing up from his stool and heading for the room's exit.

"Finally" went Terry as he got up from the bed and began to take off the white hospital gown.

"Thank you Doctor" said Warren

"Let's go Dad….I'm starving" came Terry's voice as he finished putting on his shirt. He patted his father on the arm as he headed for the exit. Warren watched him but he himself stood in his spot staring at the door his son just left through with a frown on his face.

* * *

**45 minutes later**

A plain brown car pulled up in front of a modest two story house. The engine shut off and Terry McGinnis and his father Warren McGinnis stepped out of the vehicle and started up the walkway that led to the house. Warren pressed his hand onto the pad that was by the door and it flashed blue; the front door swished open and the two entered the home.

* * *

**Inside**

"Home sweet home…..yah" said Terry, sarcasm dripping from his words. He walked in and put his coat on the rack that was on the wall, "Hey you got anything to eat in here pops"

"Dad"

"What?" Terry questioned turning to look at him.

"You know I hate it when you call me Pops…..it's either: Sir, Dad, or Father."

"Fine….do you have anything to eat in here Father."

"Just what the hell is wrong with you…..what is your problem Terrence? Your mother and I bend over backwards to ensure that you have a good life and a good education but every chance you get you rebel or find some way to screw it up"

"Maybe I'm craving attention" replied Terry snidely

"You see that's what I'm talking about right there those damn snide remarks" Warren snapped.

"Well what do you want from me huh…?"

"How about some gratitude for providing for you…or better yet….what I want from you is to stop being so Goddamn impulsive."

"Impulsive?"

"Case in Point…Just what the hell where you thinking today…..jumping in front a rocket….are you insane?"

"Wow…I try to do the right thing by saving that guy, which I did, and you are in my face about it. How about some gratitude for me saving a life."

"YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"

"And yet here I stand, listening to this BULLSHIT…I'm outta here" Terry growled in anger.

"No you're not…you're staying right here." Warren demanded grabbing Terry by the arm but Terry yanked his arm out of his father's grasp.

"No I'm not, I'm going to Mom's at least she would've congratulated me for saving a life…..instead of criticizing me….which seems to be the only thing you ever do."

"That is not true, and you're not staying with your Mother again she is too soft on you…which is probably why you're always in trouble you need discipline Terrence"

"FOR THE LAST TIME MY GODDAMN NAME IS TERRY!"

"Your given name is Terrence...to be called Terry is a privilege you're gonna have earn back and you do that by staying out of trouble, going to school and doing as I say."

"ARGH! I HATE YOU" he shouted in anger.

"Yeah well I love you Terrence, which is why I'm being hard on you…I'm trying to teach you something"

"Yeah and what's that?"

"I'm trying to teach you that if you ever expect to get anywhere in life you need to watch your attitude"

"Watch my attitude huh…..Oh yeah I'll do that, and then I'll be a big success just like you…..thanks, but no thanks…..I'm outta here" said Terry brushing past his Dad and grabbing his jacket. He put his hand on the pad and the door swished open allowing him to storm out.

* * *

Terry put his jacket on and zipped it up to block out the cold night air. He let out a few curses under his breath while he walked away from his father's house and towards the bus stop.

* * *

As he walked away into the night he didn't notice a black limo pull up a few yards away with the windows blacked out and the lights shut off. The doors to the limo opened and Mr. Fixx along with two other guys stepped out. Mr. Fixx eyed Terry's departing form and scrunched his face up.

'_I'll handle him later….first I have to get the disc'_ thought Mr. Fixx to himself while eyeing the house. Making a signal with his head he and the two guys made their way over to the McGinnis household with the intentions of retrieving Derek Power's incriminating disc by any means necessary.

* * *

**END Chapter: Read and Review.** **Hey readers it's me back with the closing comments. First I wanna give a big thanks to the people that read and reviewed the first chapter, I'm glad that ya'll are enjoying the story so far. I hope that everyone out there is enjoying this tale that I'm weaving. I know that this chapter is a little light on the action, but it's a set up chapter I tried to revamp Terry's origin a little so I hope everyone enjoyed it and found it interesting. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter enough to come back for more and I promise the next chapter will have some action in it, so just drop me a review and I'll see you readers later, this is Nomad88 saying until next time…..**

**Ps: This is the second revised chapter to Batman Beyond Volume 1, hopefully I cleared up a lot of the mistakes that I made the first time around and the story flows more smoothly. Anyway readers I'm on a mission so be on the look out for the next revised chapter. This is me saying later…**

**Next Up: The Dark Knight Reborn pt 2**


	3. The Dark Knight Reborn Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these CHARACTERS, in fact ALL CREDIT goes to DC, THEY OWN EVERYTHING, I repeat DC OWN EVERYTHING I do not own anything and I'm not making any money off of this story I can assure you…so please DO NOT SUE ME…..thanks. **

**Hey people it's me back with a brand new chapter ready for viewing. As promised this chapter has a little more action than the previous two, so having said that remember to Read. Review (Let me know what you think) and most importantly ENJOY…**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Dark Knight Reborn pt 2**

**McGinnis Household**

Warren McGinnis heaved a heavy sigh as he watched his son angrily storm out of the house.

'_Great job Warren…..you just keep pushing him away…._' He thought to himself while putting his hands into his pockets but when he did that he immediately felt the compact disc that his friend Douglas Erchin had given to him earlier in the day. He pulled it out of his pocket and he looked at it with curious eyes.

"I wonder what had Douglas so spooked" Warren whispered to himself remembering the frightened look upon his face. Warren walked over to his personal computer and he touched the mouse pad and the pressed the button to open the CD-drive. He swallowed hard for a split second and was about to reconsider watching the disc but his curiosity won him over and he quickly inserted the disc into the drive. He only had to a wait a few seconds before the disc began to play and a screen popped up with an empty chair as the focal point. From the right side of the screen Douglas came into view and sat down in the chair.

* * *

**Computer Screen**

"_If you are watching this disc…..it means…it means I've failed….but I'm getting ahead of myself….allow me to start from the beginning. My Name is Douglas Erchin and I'm a Bio-chemist under the employment of Derek Powers, CO-CEO of Wayne-Powers Enterprises. For the better part of three years myself and a few other scientist have been under the impression that we were developing cures for several diseases such as: DBT, PEF, and the new strain of Cancer that has formed, but recently…..I discovered that Derek Powers has been lying to everyone since the beginning. We weren't working on any cures, but a powerful nerve toxin…..a nerve gas."_

* * *

"Good Lord" whispered Warren as the chemical compound of the nerve gas came upon the screen.

* * *

_As you can see here the chemical compound is…..unique….and highly mutagenic. It's designed to be an airborne toxin and once someone inhales the gas it immediately attacks the person's DNA. First it rewrites the DNA and forces it to break down….first it starts in the skin….thick black burns appear all over the body…..then all of the major organs in the body begin to get advanced stages of cancer….and the diabolical part about this gas is that all of this takes place in the span of just a few minutes…death is almost certain….so far from what I've seen the nerve gas will cause death 13 minutes after exposure. However…..I've also seen that there is a way to counteract the nerve gas, but it involves radiation…intense radiation….the amount of radiation needed to stop the progression of the nerve gas is….is not even worth attempting, the human body can not withstand that much radiation. I….I only wanted to help people…..that's been my only goal in life….but it seems with the creation of this gas I've done the exact opposite. Whoever is watching this tape, please…..get this to the authorities…or...or someone who can stop Derek Powers. He is an evil man…he's planning on selling this nerve gas to some organization called Kobra and I….._

* * *

Warren stopped the disc and he pressed the eject button on his personal computer.

"Shit…Shit…I've got to get this disc out of here." He frantically said to himself standing up from the computer "OH NO...they saw me with Douglas earlier…..Oh God…Oh God…What am I gonna…"

**DING! DONG! **Went the bell to the front door of his house. Warren jumped slightly at the sound of the bell eyes dancing wildly.

"Who is it?"

"I believe we met earlier Mr. McGinnis….it's Mr. Fixx" came the voice from the door.

"J-JUST A SECOND!" he called out while holding the disc in his hands. He looked around the house and his eyes then fell upon a photo of him and a 7yr old Terry fishing on the mantle above the fireplace. Warren quickly ran to the photo and picked it up; opening the back of the picture frame he stashed the disc in inside and then he closed the frame and set it back on the mantle. Warren took a deep breath and then went towards the door and opened it.

"Mr. McGinnis….we need to talk" said Mr. Fixx who had a smile on his face.

* * *

**Uptown**

Terry stepped off of the bus and made his way through the actively busy Neo-Gotham street. Being in the juvenile correctional system had deprived Terry of everything that was fun so the only thing on his mind at this moment was to party….celebrate his newfound freedom and he was headed for the most popular spot in Gotham for people his age**: Club 54**.

Club 54 was where the youth of Gotham spent their nights, the place was massive the music was loud and the bartenders served everyone drinks no matter the age. It was a place where a little of everything went on which is probably why the Gotham PD has raided the club numerous of times but with the influx of crime in the past couple of years the police haven't been around much.

Terry arrived at the club to see a line that curved all the way around corner.

_'Good to see some things haven't changed' _Terry thought with a smile while looking at the line. Shaking his head at the people in line he went around to the back of the club.

* * *

**Back of the Club**

Terry reached the back alley behind the club and he looked at some old trash bins that were inconspicuously laying on the ground.

'_Ah….thank God for small miracles…. no one has found my secret spot'_ he thought while going over to the trash bins and moving them aside to reveal a small window. The police had been known to raid the club and when Terry was trying to get away one time he had accidentally found this little secret entrance/exit; bending down he pushed the window back and he squeezed through.

* * *

**Inside**

Terry crawled through the window and found himself in a small dingy basement storage room that looked like it had been forgotten about. He stood up and wiped some of the spider webs off of himself and then pushed the window close. Terry turned around and he eyed the steps that lead up to a door. He smirked and started for the steps; once he was at the top he opened the door.

* * *

**Kitchen**

Terry opened the door slightly and peeked through to see all of the chefs in the kitchen running wildly around trying to keep up with all of the orders. Terry slipped through the door and closed it and walked through the kitchen.

"HEY YOU PUNK YOU CAN'T BE BACK HERE!" shouted a chef in an apron

"Sorry….I'm just passing through" Terry replied continuing through the busy kitchen; he side stepped a waitress running through the revolving door who almost hit him.

"WATCH IT!" she snapped.

"Sorry" Terry said as he went through the revolving door and into the club.

Immediately after he exited the kitchen his eardrums were bombarded with the loud fast techno music of Club 54.

* * *

Terry let a small smile creep along his face as he looked at the flashing colorful lights and the packed club full of guys and girls dancing provocatively all over each other. The band on the floating stage in the middle of the club was one of Terry's favorites.

'_HELL YES'_ thought Terry happily as he found himself starting to dance. Suddenly he felt two arms grab him and spin him around; it was a blonde haired girl in a tight green skirt and white shirt. She proceed to dance and wiggle around him provocatively just how everyone else was dancing.

'_Now this is what I've been missing'_ he thought as he began to dance with the pretty blonde.

* * *

**McGinnis Household**

"ARGH!" shouted Warren as Mr. Fixx grabbed hand and broke it.

"Mr. McGinnis you can stop the pain….all you have to do is tell me where the disc is"

"…..ARGH….I-I…..t-told you I don't have it" he replied through bloody teeth.

Mr. Fixx and his associates had pushed their way into the house when he had opened the door and once they entered they proceeded to beat him and ask him about the disc that Douglas had given him. Warren was going to tell them, but he couldn't let that nerve gas reach the public, what if sons Terry and Matt or worse his ex-wife Mary were exposed to the gas they would be killed and he could never forgive himself if that happened. So as they beat him he denied everything, but that only made them beat him harder and then had been doing it for the past 30 minutes and he knew they were getting tired of him.

"Now you see, I wish I could believe you Mr. McGinnis I really do, but unfortunately I know you have it."

"I-I…."

"SHUT UP!...I saw the security video Mr. McGinnis I know you have it….now I'm running out of patience….where is it?" Mr. Fixx growled angrily.

"….."

"Okay….fine" said Mr. Fixx, he snapped his fingers and one of his associates produced a machete. Warren looked at the machete with wide eyes.

"Wait…..Wait…NO!" Warren shouted fearfully trying to crawl away.

"Hold him"

The two guys went and grabbed Warren and brought him over to the kitchen table and held out one of his arms. One of the hitmen pulled out a cloth and then shoved it into Warren's mouth and held it there tightly.

"MMMMRPHPHHH!" Warren mumbled in fear as he saw the gleeful look in Mr. Fixx's eyes.

Mr. Fixx slowly walked forward and held the machete up over his head. He looked Warren in the eyes for a split second and with a smile on his face he quickly brought the machete down on Warren's arm.

* * *

**Club 54**

"YEEEEEAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted the lead singer of the rock band on the floating stage in the middle of the club.

"YEEEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" all the people in the club shouted back as they dance even faster to the techno-music.

Terry pushed his way through the thick crowd and towards the bar that was on the other side of the club.

"HEY LET ME GET A VODKA!" he shouted over the music while slamming his hand down on the counter.

The Bartender produced a glass and poured him a shot of vodka and slid it to him. Terry grabbed the shot and downed it in one gulp.

"AHH...whooo…..smooth" he said feeling the alcohol warm his insides.

"OH MY GOD!...TERRY! TERRY!" yelled a voice a from down the bar. Terry barely heard his name but he turned to see who was calling him and his eyes lit up with joy as the girl came running towards him.

"HOLY SHIT! MAX!" shouted Terry as he caught her when she jumped at him with a hug.

**Maxine 'Max' Gibson** was a beautiful brown skinned girl who was the same age as Terry. She was about his height as well with short pink hair, brown eyes, and a curvy slim build. Max and Terry had been best friends since they were little. One day after school some bullies tried to jump her, but Terry was there to fight them off; she repaid him back by hacking into the school computer and changing all of his D's and F's to A's and B's. Since then the two have been best friends…platonically of course.

"Max…I'm loving the hair…why did you change it from green though?" he asked in her ear.

"Turns out green wasn't my color…how long you been out….I thought they had you locked up until you were twenty one" she replied back in his ear.

"Long story short….out due to population increase."

"Schway"

"Tell me about it….so you're here by yourself?" Terry asked.

"No I'm here with some friends from school"

"Who?"

"Just some friends"

"Is Dana one of those friends?"

"…..No" she lied.

"Max you know I know when you're lying"

"Dammit McGinnis leave it alone she hates you"

"….Yeah I know which is why I have to change that."

"I couldn't believe it when she told me...…you said you loved her, had sex with her and you cheat on her and then you leave"

"First I didn't leave by choice I was arrested…and secondly I didn't cheat on her…that son of bitch Nelson was trying to sabotage me, and that thing with Melanie that...that was not what she thought it was and I meant what I said, I do love her"

"Okay."

"Hey…..why didn't you come visit me when I was in Juvie" asked Terry

"You know I hate prisons, it's bad enough I have to go see my mother every other month in prison, I was not gonna see my best friend there too"

"Fair enough...come on I wanna see Dana" said Terry grabbing Max's hand and dragging her from the bar.

"TERRY WAIT!" shouted Max as she being pulled along.

* * *

**McGinnis Household**

"P-P-P..lease…." Warren moaned out cradling the stump of his right hand.

"Where is it?"

"I-I-I destroyed it….I-I…looked at what was on it and I knew it couldn't be in here….so before you came in I destroyed it" Warren struggled to get out. Mr. Fixx looked Warren in his eyes before nodding his head.

"I believe you Mr. McGinnis…I do….but unfortunately I can't let you live….nor can I let your son Terrence live either; I have to be sure that the contents of that disc are never spoken of"

"WHAT!...N-No….PLEASE!" Warren exclaimed trying to rise up but Mr. Fixx kicked him and knocked him back down.

Mr. Fixx then pulled out his gun and aimed it at his victim; the two caught each others eyes for a second.

'Terry...' Warren managed to think before a thin laser shot out from the weapon and struck him right between the eyes, instantly killing him.

"So….did you believe him" asked one of his hitmen.

"No I didn't, but he wasn't gonna tell us anything and I was getting bored" Mr. Fixx replied holstering his weapon.

"So what now?"

"Now…..we find the kid and see what he knows, I'm guessing he doesn't know anything but he might know where his father might hide things of great importance." Mr. Fixx answered.

"What about him" the other guy asked pointing at the dead Warren McGinnis.

"Make it look like a Jokerz break in…and make it quick I'm starving" said Mr. Fixx while putting his gun back into his jacket.

* * *

**Club 54**

Max led Terry over to a booth where two people were in an intense lip lock with each other and despite how they were all over each other Terry immediately recognized both of them. The first was a very attractive girl around the same age as Terry and Max; she had medium length blonde hair, green eyes, full lips and tan skin. She was wearing a tight white t-shirt with the stomach cut out and a high riding black skirt. Both items showed her off her slim and curvy body, the girls name was Bobbi Summer but everyone called her **Blade**. The person that Blade was kissing was her on again and off again boyfriend **Nelson Nash**. Nelson was 19, about 6'1 with brown hair, blue eyes, and a clean shaven face. He was in every sense of the word: Jock. He had an athletic strong build that suggested he lifted weights. Nelson was captain of the wrestling team, basketball team, baseball team, and neo-lacrosse. Nelson was wearing a green letterman's jacket with a white shirt underneath, black pants and white sneakers.

"Hey I hate to break up the mouth cleaning session…but look who's here" said Max interrupting Blade and Nelson. The two teens broke apart and looked at Terry.

"Oh My God Terry…..how's it going" said Blade while twirling her hair and giving him her best smile.

"Blade….looking good as always" Terry replied slyly

She giggled at his statement and her smiled widen. Nelson looked at her and then back at Terry with anger in his eyes.

"McGinnis" Nelson stated coldly

"Nash" Terry stated in the same cold tone.

The two stared at each other with hate in their eyes.

"How's the jaw?" asked Terry with a smile

"WHY YOU SON OF A BITCH!" growled Nelson breaking away from Blade and standing up.

"WHOA! WHOA!" Max exclaimed jumping in front of Nelson before he could reach Terry, "COOL IT NELSON!...we came here to have a good time alright…..this is not the time for the two of you to settle whatever the score is between you guys. I think the two of you should make peace….Nelson you just got that Neo Lacrosse scholarship right and the season is starting up tomorrow, you need to be ready, not in the hospital again…..and Terry you just got out of juvie…today…..can you go one day with out fighting someone" Max reasoned trying to play peacemaker.

"No let em fight…I like it when guys rough house…gets my engine going" said Blade

"NOT HELPING BLADE!" Max shouted.

"You're lucky she has a point McGinnis….if this was any other day you and me would settle our…..unfinished business"

"Whatever Nash…like you could ever beat me. Max where's Dana I thought you said she was here"

"She was here"

"She's on the dance floor with the new guy" said Blade pointing towards a guy and girl on the dance floor. Terry turned to where Blade was pointing and then he saw her. She was dancing with some guy he had never seen before, but Terry paid him no attention, his focus was on the girl that been on his mind since he'd been locked up at juvie, the girl that invaded his every thought: **Dana Tan**. Dana was 5'8 with long dark hair that almost reached the middle of her back. She had a beautiful face, big brown eyes, full lips and looked to be of Asian decent. Terry's eyes roamed over lithe curvy body as she dance with the mystery guy. Dana was wearing one of Terry's favorite outfits a dangerously short and tight strapless orange dress that hugged her body.

"Damn" whispered Terry with a smirk on his face as he looked at her, "Who's the dreg she's with"

"He's not a dreg…but he does give off this weird vibe, and…."

"Max…name please" Terry interrupted.

"His name is **Carter Wilson**; he's in a few of our classes at Hamilton University"

"Are they together?"

"No, but something might be sparking…I know for a fact our boy Carter has a serious thing for Ms. Tan"

"How does she feel?"

"I don't know how she feels about him…..but I do know that she's still carrying a torch for a certain someone…..that is if he gets his shit together" said Max elbowing Terry in the side softly.

"Things are different this time Max….I'm different." He said reassuringly

"I'm not the one you need to convince McGinnis"

Terry continued to watch Dana dance around Carter but as luck would have it she turned around and spotted him through the crowd staring at her. She immediately stopped in her tracks and gawked at seeing him. Terry saw a wide spectrum of emotions flash across her face. He saw joy, hurt, shock, and of course anger; Dana quickly turned and hurried away roughly pushing her way through the crowd of rowdy teens and leaving a confused Carter Wilson in her wake.

"DANA WAIT!" Terry called out while rushing after her through the thick crowd.

* * *

**Women's Restroom**

Dana entered the women's restroom and headed for the sink. She gripped the sides tightly and tried to will away the knots that had formed in her stomach. Dana felt as if she was about to vomit; seeing Terry again had brought back memories and feelings that she didn't want to remember, feeling that she though had went away over 2 years ago but apparently they hadn't and how could they….he was the first person she had ever loved and the first person to ever break her heart.

'_This….this is a dream…right….it couldn't be him'_ Dana thought to herself while looking up into the mirror.

"DANA!" shouted Terry as he entered the women's restroom.

'_Definitely not a dream'_ she thought while slowly turning to face him.

"This….This is the ladies room McGinnis…you're not supposed to be in here"

"Well you know me, I'm a rule breaker"

"Don't I know it…..I thought you had at least 4 more years left"

"3 more years actually but…..out on good behavior and population increase"

"I can buy the population increase…but you…..good behavior, pfft...as if" she scoffed.

"I know…shocking isn't it" Terry replied with a smile. An awkward silence formed between the two of them as they both stood there looking at each other, emotions bombarding the both of them but each uncertain of what to say but finally the words came to one of them.

"I-I missed you Dana….I…" Terry started.

"DON'T! Please don't Terry"

"Well its true…..I thought about you every day while I was in Juvie"

"Yeah well I didn't think about you"

"I heard different" he countered.

"Damn it Max" Dana whispered to herself while folding her arms across her chest and shaking her head.

"Look Dana I know things ended kinda badly between us…"

"You cheated on me with that Melanie bitch"

"No I didn't she kissed me….and...and that asshole Nelson lied to you…and…and…."

"Save it McGinnis….just save it" said Dana as she tried to storm pass him, only for Terry to grab her arm and stop her

"Dana listen to me…I meant what I said….I do Love you"

"Let go of me Terry" she snapped averting her eyes away from him.

Terry let go of her arm and she took a few steps away from him.

"I don't care Terry…..I don't love you anymore…I-I-I've moved on"

"You don't sound so sure." He said softly.

"Trust me I'm s…." she started before being interrupted by someone running into the restroom.

"AHHHHHHH IT'S A RAID! COPS! RUN!" yelled the girl

"OH SHIT!" Terry and Dana said in union, as quickly as they could they left the restroom but once they were back in the club the two saw everyone running around frantically trying to get away from the cops who were raiding the club.

* * *

"THIS IS THE POLICE! ALL OF YOU ARE OUT PAST CURFEW! YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST! DO NOT RUN!" came a voice over a bull horn.

Due to the dramatic influx of criminal activity in the city, the Gotham PD had issued a curfew for Gotham's youth, and anyone under twenty three caught out after the curfew got arrested and anyone caught three times would have to go to court. Terry being 18 and fresh out of Juvie could not afford to be caught.

"COME ON THIS WAY!" shouted Terry grabbing Dana's hand and dragging her towards the kitchen, she resisted slightly, but stopped and followed along.

* * *

**Back Alley**

A few seconds later Terry and Dana were squeezing through his secret window and into the back alley of the club. They both started to run down the back alley of the club but Dana had to stop for a second and take off her heels.

Once her heels were off the two continued to run away but they ran away hand in hand.

* * *

**Few Blocks Away**

The two came to a stop a few blocks away from the club to catch their breath and while they were doing that they were also laughing.

"Just like old times right" said Terry laughing huffing and puffing a bit.

"What running from the cops?" she asked huffing and puffing as well.

"No….me and you together having fun."

"We're not together McGinnis…..we're simply going in the same direction" she retorted.

"Dana…..I…

**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH! **From around the corner a red convertible came speeding down the street. The convertible came to a sudden stop right in front of Terry and Dana and inside the the car was Nelson, Blade, and Max.

"There you guys are" said Max with relief in her voice " I told you they wouldn't get caught"

"Come on you guys…Cops are not too far away" said Blade. Dana glanced at Terry for a split second before quickly jumping into the convertible, but Terry stood in his spot.

"Come on Terry get in" Max urged. Terry stood still in his spot looking at Dana who was trying her best not to look at him.

"Nah….you guys go ahead…..I'll be fine" he said after a long minute.

"WHAT! McGINNIS GET THE DAMN CAR!"

"Max…I'll be fine…..Dana"

"Let's go Nelson, you heard him he'll be fine…..goodbye Terry" she said dismissively.

Upon command Nelson slammed his foot on the gas and the convertible sped off leaving Terry standing on the on sidewalk alone in the cold Neo-Gotham Night. He heaved a heavy sigh and pulled his jacket closer to his body trying to block out the brisk breeze. He then started to walk down the street with the intentions of heading back towards his Dad's house.

* * *

**1 hour later**

Terry stepped off the bus and started towards his Dad's house. Walking down a familiar path that led to the modest home, Terry couldn't help but roll his eyes.

_'I bet as soon as I walk in he's gonna start yelling….Terry this….Disappointed that…God I hate him'_ Terry thought as he walked to the door and put his hand on the pad. The door swished open and he walked in but he immediately stopped in shock. The inside of the house was completely trashed and the words: HA HA in big neon green and red letters were littered throughout the entire living room area.

"No…DAD! DAD!" shouted Terry in horror running further into house. He ran through the house until he found his father's lifeless body on the floor in the kitchen.

"DAD! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

**20 minutes later**

Commissioner Barbara Gordon stepped into the McGinnis household with a somber look on her face. She saw the other police officers in the house doing their jobs of dusting for fingerprints or trying to find any clues as to who trashed the house, but it was pointless because the people responsible left their signature in big neon green and red.

'_Jokerz_' she thought venomously

"Commissioner" an officer called coming over to her

"What do you have for me?"

"Nothing…no fingerprints were left, but we obviously know who did it."

"Jokerz"

"Yes ma'am, but I'm confused though…home invasion isn't generally the Jokerz MO"

"Don't be so sure about that… expect anything when dealing with Jokerz." She replied.

"It was payback" came Terry's voice from the couch. He was sitting there with his arms folded and a deep scowl on his face. Commissioner Gordon turned to him and he turned to her both cathing the others eyes.

"It was payback for earlier when I saved that guys life." He said again.

"That guy you saved….his name is Sam Young….my husband….my name is Commissioner Barbara Gordon Young and I never got a chance to thank you for saving his life"

"You're welcome…but I guess no good deed goes unpunished huh."

"Listen Mr. McGinnis…" she started.

"Terry...my name is Terry" he corrected.

"Okay Terry, we will find the people responsible for your Father's murder"

"I'm sure you will because the Gotham PD is known for catching the Jokerz" he replied sarcastically.

"OH MY GOD TERRY!" came a voice. Terry looked up to see his mother Mary McGinnis run into the house, she briefly search for him with her eyes and then ran towards him and hugged him tightly. Mary McGinnis was about 5'6, with light red hair, blues, and fair skin . She had a slim build, and she looked to be in her mid thirties to late thirties.

"Are you alright" she asked looking him over

"Yeah I'm fine Mom…..but its Dad…..he's dead…they killed him." He told her solemnly

"WHAT!"

"Yeah"

"Mrs. McGinnis I'm Commissioner Gordon and we are doing everything in our power to find out who did this"

"Warren" Mary whispered to herself before her legs buckled and she collapsed into Terry's arms.

* * *

**Three Days Later: Gotham Cemetery**

"Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust" finished the priest as Warren McGinnis's casket was lowered into the ground. It was a small funeral and only a few people showed up, mostly people that Warren worked with and his family. Warren's wife Mary, and sons Terry and Matt McGinnis his youngest son. After watching them lower Warren into the ground the remaining members of the McGinnis family left the cemetery with the intentions of heading home.

* * *

**Later: Mary McGinnis Apartment- Terry's room**

Terry was sitting in his room on his bed holding a photo of him and his Dad fishing.

"Terry" his mother called out from the doorway. He turned his head and glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Yeah"

"How are you holding up?" she asked walking towards him and sitting down next him on the bed.

"I'm fine…you might want to talk to Matt he was feeling kinda sad"

"I already did"

"Oh"

"The two of you had so much fun that day….do you remember?" she asked pointing at the picture.

"Yeah I remember….almost as if it was yesterday….I'm a terrible person Mom….I said some pretty hurtful stuff to him."

"Shhh…..don't talk like that Terry, your Father knew you loved him"

"I don't think he did."

"Listen to me Terry…..your Father loved you and he never not once stopped believe in you….he always kept saying that this rough patch you're going through is a phase you'll grow out of, and he always told me that you were a good kid...who maybe needs a little discipline" she said rubbing his hair.

"Thanks Mom" Terry replied smiling slightly

"No problem sweetie" she said kissing him on the forehead, "Get some sleep you've had a long day"

"Okay"

Mary got up from the bed and left Terry's room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

**Later that Night: 1:30 am**

Terry carefully slipped out of his Mom's apartment and into the hallway. He was wearing his street clothes and he had a determined look upon his face.

'_The police aren't gonna find who killed my Dad…so I guess it's up to me'_ he thought to himself while heading to the elevator that would take him out of the apartment building

* * *

**RING! RING!** Went the sound of Max's cell phone; she groggily opened her eyes and reached for the phone. Max grabbed the ringing device and pressed send.

"What?" she mumbled.

"Max"

"Terry?"

"Yeah"

"Hey…..I'm sorry about your Dad." She said sitting up in her bed.

"Yeah….me too….I need some help Max and you're the only one I can trust."

"What do you need?"

"Jokerz….where can I find them?"

"…Why would you want to find those assholes Terry?"

"Because one of them knows who killed my Dad…..and I have to find out who did it"

"Terry…I'm you friend so I can not in good conscience give you information that might harm you"

"MAX PLEASE! I can take care of myself; you of all people should know that by now"

"I know you can…..but God I'm gonna regret this.…..look all I know is that the Jokerz are usually concentrated around the eastside of town…..more specifically around the abandoned fair grounds….from what I hear it's like Joker city"

"Thanks I owe you one"

"McGinnis"

"Yeah"

"Be careful….the Jokerz…..while you've been in Juvie they've stepped up their game….they are more violent and more prone to killing than beating people up like they used to do"

"Max I'm not afraid of those animals, if anything they should be afraid of me….bye" said Terry hanging up the phone.

"Bye" Max whispered before closing her cell phone and laying back down in her bed, "God if you're listening, please….keep him safe"

* * *

**Abandoned Fair Grounds**

Terry hopped the metal gate that was in front of the rundown and abandoned fair ground. The east part of Gotham was one of the most underdeveloped portions of the futuristic megalopolis that was Neo-Gotham. It had massive rundown and condemned buildings, dilapidated houses, homeless people, vagrants and finally it had the old fair grounds, which had been shut down due to low funds and several deaths years ago. It was the perfect place for a Jorkez hideout.

* * *

After hopping the gate, Terry wandered around the place looking for any sign of where the Jokerz might be.

'_Where are they'_ he thought right before he heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle engine. Terry peeked around the corner of a beat up prize stand and saw about 5 Jokerz riding their motorcycles and laughing loudly.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA" they all laughed. The Jokerz rode their bikes towards a funhouse and got off and went inside. Terry balling up his fist ran from his hiding spot and to the funhouse.

* * *

**Inside the Funhouse**

"HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHA, well that was fun…So what shall we do tonight my fellow hooligans" laughed one of the Jokerz as he laid down on a beat up old couch in the open area of the funhouse.

"I don't know if we should do anything tonight….. Terminal said we should lay low for awhile….something about a big plan he's got cooking up against the knightbreed" said another of the jokerz

"I'm sick of that punk Terminal calling all of the shots" another Joker snapped.

"Hey if you wanna do your own thing then go ahead….but I've heard stories about Terminal….they say he's as crazy as the original joker."

"Pffft please….I could take Terminal any day of the week"

* * *

While the Jokerz were talking amongst themselves Terry was looking at them and deciding on what he was gonna do.

'_There's five of them…..I can take these clowns…no problem, thank God I learned Kickboxing when I did'_ he thought to himself while he standing up from his hiding spot and making his way down towards the five Jokerz.

"HEY WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" yelled one the Jokerz as they saw Terry walk into the funhouse.

"Doesn't matter who I am Dreg…all that matters is the information I need."

"Informa…Does this look the fucking library to you asshole"

"It looks like a place where lowlifes like yourselves come to hang out"

"Funny guy…..well now you've pissed me off, Jokerz let's show our new friend here how we handle intruders."

The two jokerz that were closest to Terry blindly charged at him. Terry stood his ground and waited, the first joker to reach him threw a punch but he ducked and responded with a hard uppercut. The second joker grabbed him by the shoulder; Terry elbowed him in the mouth and the flipped him over his shoulder. The other three jokerz grabbed seeing how he dealt with those two chose to grab whatever they could get their hands on and then rush at him. One of the jokerz who had a pipe in his hands tried to swing at Terry, but he missed because Terry took a step back avoiding the blow. Terry grabbed the Jokerz by his shirt and tossed him into a girl joker who had a knife in her hand and approaching him from the side. The last Joker had a chain that he was twirling around in his hands. He swung the chain at Terry, but Terry saw it coming and ducked, Terry then sprung forward with a hard punch that nailed the joker in the face knocking him down. Terry went over to the downed joker and grabbed him by the shirt and began to rain down blows on his face. Over and over Terry pounded on the Jokerz face, specifically the man's nose. On the last punch Terry could feel the broken cartilage so he grabbed it earn a shout of pain from his unfortunate victim.

"AHHHHH!"

"Are you ready to talk now Dreg" said Terry squeezing the man's broken nose.

"…s-s-srew you" he replied

Terry punched him the face and on the nose again.

"GAHHH!"

"Listen dreg….which one your friends murdered a man on West Avenue…Kingston housing complex three days ago?" Terry asked through clenched teeth.

"…s-s-crew y….." he didn't get a chance to finish because Terry punched him in the face again.

**VROOOOOOM VROOOOOOOOMM!**

Terry turned towards the Funhouse entrance because he heard more motorcycles pulling up outside.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA you've fucked up kid…..those would be my friends out there and once they find you….oh…they are gonna cut you up something fierce" said the Joker through bloody teeth.

"Shut up" replied Terry punching him again but this time knocking him out. Terry looked around the funhouse but didn't see another way out, but he did however see a boarded up window. Running towards the window, he kicked out the boards and tried to leave through the window, but just as he stuck his foot out of the window he heard the other Jokerz come in.

"WHAT THE HELL!" someone shouted as they saw their crew members on the ground.

Terry turned and saw that the Joker that had shouted was a guy dressed up like a scarecrow.

"GET HIM" he shouted.

'_Shit_' thought Terry jumping out of the window. The Jokerz ran towards the window and saw Terry running around the Funhouse.

"HE'S GOING AROUND AFTER HIM!"

* * *

**Outside **

'_SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!' _Terry thought as he ran around the funhouse and towards the entrance. He saw the parked Jokerz motorcycles, and he jumped onto the nearest one and started it up. He revved up the engine and zoomed towards the exit.

* * *

The jokerz ran out of the funhouse and saw him jump onto the motorcycle and take off.

"THAT ASSHOLE STOLE MY BIKE!" one of the Jokerz shouted but the others ignored his comment; they each jumped on their motorcycles and took off after Terry.

* * *

Terry weaved through the Neo-Gotham traffic trying his best to out run the Jokerz that were steadily gaining on him. Looking in the side mirror he counted about ten Jokerz hot on his trail laughing and yelling loudly. Terry applied more pressure to the gas and he pulled ahead of the Jokerz slightly but they were relentless and they continued to gain upon him. Two Jokerz pulled up along side of Terry and one had a chain. The joker with the chain raised it and tried to hit him, but Terry gripped the brakes and the two passed him. Terry suddenly took a hard left and made his motorcycle fly off highway and to the street below. The Jokerz followed suit but not all of them made the jump, three jokerz ended up crashing their bikes and tumbling along the road, but that didn't stop the other Jokerz it only made them double their efforts to catch the fleeing Terry.

* * *

**Off Road**

Terry was so busy trying to out run the Jokerz that he didn't notice that he had veered off the main roads and was now riding along a winding beaten up dirt path that was on the outskirts of Gotham. Looking in the side mirror again he saw the Jokerz were still on his tail. Turning his gaze back to the rode his eyes widened because standing there in the road was and old man who looked like he was in his eighties with a cane.

"SHIIIITTTTT!" yelled Terry swerving out of the way; the sudden swerve caused him to lose his balance and crash the motorcycle. Terry and the motorcycle skidded and tumbled across the ground, "Ow…..dammit" grumbled Terry and he slowly rose to his feet.

* * *

**VROOOOOOOOOM! VROOOOOOM!** Went the sound of the motorcycle engines as the Jokerz pulled up to the scene.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Dead End" Shouted one of the Jokerz looking at Terry. The jokerz got off their bikes and started towards the slowly rising Terry McGinnis.

"Leave him Alone" came a voice from the side. The jokerz turned and to the left and saw the old man with the cane.

"Hey I know you…..aren't you that rich old bastard Bruce Wayne" said a Joker pointing at him.

"Well Boys and girls it looks like tonight is our lucky night…not only do we get to teach pretty boy here a lesson; we got ourselves a rich hostage"

"HEY! You're your fight is with me leave the old guy out of this" said Terry running/limping to stand in front of Bruce, "Listen old man I got this…..get someplace safe"

Bruce merely looked at him and then turned his hard gaze back to the Jokerz.

"JOKERZ TIME TO GO TO WORK HAHAHAHA!" the leader shouted as he and the other Jokerz charged at the two.

Terry delivered a straight punch to the first joker right in his face sending him stumbling back. Another Joker came in from the left and went for Bruce, but Bruce stood his ground and when the joker came in close he swung his cane and hit him hard in the jaw sending him flying back. In tandem Bruce and Terry fended off the Jokerz attack. One joker tried to stab Bruce with a knife, but Bruce side stepped the strike and hit the joker in the arm with the cane making him drop the knife, Bruce then hit him in the stomach and then kneed him in the face sending the Joker to the ground. The leader of the small Jokerz gang was fighting Terry. He came in with a high strike but Terry blocked it and responded with a strong kick to the stomach he then grabbed his arm and then tossed him away. While Terry was fighting the leader another one was trying to sneak up on him. The joker was about to stab Terry in the back when she felt her arm being snag by a cane. She turned and looked at the cane and she saw Bruce holding it, and that bought Terry enough time to turn and kick her in the stomach sending her flying back and to the ground.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" one of the downed Jokers shouted. The rest of the Jokerz got up and limped towards their bikes and got on.

"NEXT TIME!" they shouted before they all drove off leaving Bruce and Terry standing there.

* * *

"Whew….that was a close one….hey old man you got some moves" said Terry turning to face Bruce, but he saw Bruce hunched over grabbing his chest in pain.

"Hey old man are you alright?"

"N-N-o…..m-my…me-dicine….h-house" Bruce managed to say before he collapsed, but before he hit the ground Terry rushed over and caught him. He put one of Bruce's arms around his neck and started for the gate. Bruce weakly reached into his coat and pulled out a remote and pushed the single button; the large gates opened and immediately a black dog came rushing out and up to Terry barking loudly.

**GRRRRRRRRRR BARK! GRRRRR BARK!**

"DOWN MUTT!"

"ACE DOWN!" shouted Bruce. The dog hearing his master shout quickly stopped it's barking but it still growled at Terry.

"Nice dog"

"Not really" Bruce replied weakly. Terry with Bruce in tow started up the long and winding path to Wayne Manor.

* * *

**Inside Wayne Manor **

"Okay….uh….Mr. Wayne….have a seat" said Terry as he guided Bruce over to a chair in the massive living room.

"M-My….Medicine….t-table" he said pointing to table by the window. Terry went over to the table and saw a medicine bottle; he grabbed it and brought it over to Bruce. Bruce grabbed the bottle and opened it; pouring out two pills he quickly lifted them to his mouth and swallowed them. He leaned back in his chair closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of relief as the pain in his chest began to subside. Terry watched him for a long moment before rubbing the back of his neck.

"So…..uh….Thanks for the help dealing with the Jokerz….and uh…I guess I'll be going now" said Terry

"….." Bruce didn't reply, he still had his eyes close seemingly asleep.

"Right…see ya"

**EEEEEEK EEEEEEEEEK!**

"What the hell was that" Terry gasped looking all around. He had heard something like a bird squawking echoing throughout the Mansion. Following the squawking noise Terry found himself in front of an old Grandfather clock; looking at the clock he saw a bat was trapped inside in the face..

"Hey little guy are you trapped…." He said softy.

**EEEEEEEEEEK EEEEEEEK**

"Alright Alright…you better not bite me if I let you out" said Terry as he grabbed the face of the clock and pulled, but as he pulled he inadvertently hit a secret button. The clock suddenly slid backwards and lifted up revealing a set of stairs leading downwards and into a darkened cave.

"What the…." went Terry as he saw the stairs. He turned and looked behind him to see Bruce still sitting there with his eyes closed sleeping. Terry shrugged his shoulders and ventured down the stairs letting his curiosity get the better of him.

* * *

As he went down the stairs he noticed that it was getting darker and darker. Feeling along side of the wall as he walked deeper into the cavern he felt a lever towards the end of the stairs. Grasping the lever, he pulled it up and there was a spark of electricity and a few lights began to turn on in the cave.

"Whoa" said Terry as the lights began to illuminate the Bat cave. First it was the batmobile, then the bat computer, next it was all of the souvenirs that Bruce had collected and then the final lights illuminate a set of cases. Terry turned towards the staircase that led to the cases and he cautiously went up and to the cases.

* * *

Once he reached the top his eyes widened at what he saw. He saw the all of the bat suits. He started going down the line looking at each suit. He looked at the original Bat suit, the Batgirl suit, he looked at the Robin suit, the Red Robin suit, the Nightwing suit and finally his eyes landed on the most recent bat suit; the one with the blood red bat symbol on the chest.

"Schway" he whispered looking at all of the suits "Bruce Wayne….was Batman…..I gotta try one of these on" he said to himself attempting to open the case, but before he could open it he felt a someone grab his shoulder and sweep his feet from under him making him fall down hard.

"OOOMPH!" he grunted, he looked up to see an angry Bruce Wayne staring back at him.

"…Hey…"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW!" shouted Bruce with an angry scowl on his face that suggested certain death if he didn't get out of the cave. Terry quickly got to his feet and ran down the stairs and then up the stairs that would take him out of the cave.

* * *

**Outside**

Terry made it outside and as soon as he had gone through the gates they slammed shut with a loud **CLANG!**

"YOU'RE WELCOME BY THE WAY!" Terry shouted "Freak" he added as he moved away from the gate. Terry went over to the bike that he rode to the Mansion, but he noticed that one of the tires was busted meaning that it was useless.

"Damn it" he growled in anger seeing the tire. Dropping the bike Terry heaved a heavy sigh. He knew that without the bike there was only one way he was getting home and that was by walking.

"Great" he said to himself as he pulled his jacket closer to his body and started the long walk home.

* * *

**3 hours later**

After walking through the downtown south area of Gotham Terry found himself standing at the corner waiting for the bus that would take him back towards his side of town.

"Where is the damn bus…its 5:30 am…it's late" he said pulling his jacket even closer trying his best shield himself from the cold wind '_God….what a night….and I'm still no closer to finding out who killed my Dad….that Joker didn't tell me anything….so I guess that means I'll have to find another one and get some answers out of that one... tonight' _he as he sat down on the bench that was by the bus stop.

As Terry was sitting down on the bench he looked to his left and saw a black limo with the windows blacked out slowly pull up in front of him.

'_The hell'_ he thought

The window rolled down and a brown skinned man with a missing left eye and a scar going down the same eye leaned out of the window.

"Mr. McGinnis I've been looking for you all night…..you and I need to talk"

"My mother told me to never talk to strangers" Terry quipped.

The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a high powered gun and aimed it Terry.

"Feel like talking now" said the man. Terry looked at the gun and let out a sigh of frustration, _'I just had one of the longest nights of my life….and now it looks like it's gonna be a long day too'_ he thought as he got up from the bench and went to the limo.

* * *

**End Chapter. Read and Review. Hey people it's me again with the closing comments. Hey I'm sorry for the long delay it's just this chapter took me awhile to type and to write, this chapter went through so many revisions it not even funny, plus some real life stuff got in the way, but anyway I hope you readers out there enjoyed the latest chapter, drop me a review and tell me what you thought because next time things heat up even more for Terry, as he becomes Neo- Gotham's newest defender…..Batman…this is Nomad88 saying until next time…..**

**Ps: This is the third revised chapter and I hope I eliminated all of the mistakes that I made in the first go round. **

**Next Up: The Dark Knight Reborn pt 3**


	4. The Dark Knight Reborn Pt 3

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of these characters, ALL CREDIT goes to DC. I repeat ALL CREDIT goes to DC. They are the owners I am in no way shape or form making any money off of this story, NO MONEY is being exchanged or handed to me, so please DO NOT SUE. I ask again PLEASE DO NOT SUE ME…thanks….now on with the story...**

**Hey people It's me Nomad88 back again with a brand new chapter filled with brand new developments. This is the chapter you all have been waiting on as Terry McGinnis takes up the mantle of Batman…So read, Review (Feedback….I like feedback) and most importantly enjoy…..**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Dark Knight Reborn pt 3**

**South east side – Neo Gotham- 5:30 am**

"Feel Like talking now?" asked Mr. Fixx while aiming his gun at Terry. Terry let out a sigh of frustration.

'_I just had one of the longest nights of my life….and it looks like it's gonna be a long day too'_ he thought while reluctantly getting up from the bench and heading towards the limo. Looking up and down the street Terry scoffed a little, '_Never any help around when you actually need it' _he thought. Terry opened the door and got inside. The limo began to rise in the air and then took to the sky and into the early light Neo- Gotham city traffic.

* * *

**Inside the Limo**

Terry sat in the limo staring at Mr. Fixx who had a smirk upon his face as well as a gun pointed at him. A few minutes passed and neither said anything; they only stared at each other studying the person across from them.

"Well…I hate to break this little staring contest but…Who the hell are you?" Terry started.

"You can call me Mr. Fixx" the scarred man replied.

"Is that your given name….because I gotta tell ya you look like a Larry rather than a Mr. Fixx. Wait is your first name Larry?" Terry mocked.

"Are you finished because I can assure you the situation that you are in is no joking matter"

"And what situation is that?"

"Life and Death" Mr. Fixx stated darkly. Terry swallowed a bit but kept his cool, he leaned back in his seat and continued to stare at Mr. Fixx.

"…I'm listening"

"Good…..I'm sorry to hear about your Father"

"Why…..did you know him?"

"You could say that…..you could say that he and I were close…..He would've given his arm for me" said Mr. Fixx with a knowing smile.

"….what do you want from me?" Terry asked.

"Your father had an item of extreme interest to my employer of sorts and I need it back" he answered.

"Whose you're employer?"

'That is need to know…and you don't need to know."

"What is this item?"

"A disc"

"What makes you think I know where it is?" Terry asked.

"Well you do….excuse me did live with him right"

"For like five minutes."

"Regardless…..you know where you Father would keep important documents, so I need you to do something for me"

"What?"

"Find the disc."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I pay your very pretty mother a visit and I'll check on your brother Matt while I'm at it"

"You Son of…" Terry growled.

"Careful Mr. McGinnis…..I'm very sensitive you might say something that offends me and this little chance I'm giving you to save what's left of your family goes out of the window" said Mr. Fixx.

The limo suddenly came to a stop and Terry glanced out of the window and saw that they were in front of his Mom's Apartment building.

"I believe this is your stop."

"Bastard" Terry whispered

"Get out" said Mr. Fixx

Terry quickly got out of the limo and slammed the door closed; the window rolled down and Mr. Fixx looked Terry in the eyes again.

"You have 48 hours to find the disc Mr. McGinnis….and if you think about telling the cops….well lets just say my employer and the police are really close….hahahahaha" laughed Mr. Fixx as the window rolled up and the limo took to the sky again leaving Terry standing on the sidewalk looking at its departing form.

'_Shit'_ he thought while turning and hurrying into the apartment building.

* * *

**Wayne-Powers- Derek Powers Office- 9:00 am**

Derek was sitting at his desk with his hands together deep in thought about the disc, his Inque situation and how he should handle each problem.

**Beep! Beep! **Went his intercom system

"What is it Miss Winston?" he asked.

"Sir I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed but you have a call on the private line"

Derek's eyes widen slightly

"Thank you Miss Winston put it through"

"Yes Mr. Powers." she replied

On Derek's desk a square metallic pad light up and turned green. The green pad then projected an image of a person shrouded in darkness but two things stood out in the projection and that was the person's piercing red eyes and a crown that had been formed in the shape of a hissing Cobra.

"Powers" came the raspy menacing voice.

"Lord Kobra how may I help you?"

"Powers our plans have been accelerated we need the nerve gas now"

"What…Why?"

"We have encountered a set back that has forced me to show my hand, I need that nerve gas"

"Lord Kobra…I as well have encountered a set back…I need time to rectify my…." He started before being interrupted.

"Time is a luxury that neither of us can afford at the moment Powers….can you deliver or not" Lord Kobra interrupted.

"…I can….when?"

"I shall send a group of my men to retrieve the gas….tonight"

"TONIGHT! Fine….tell them to be at the Gotham Harbor at 12:30am loading dock A"

"Excellent!" Lord Kobra exclaimed.

"Lord Kobra our deal"

"You've held up your end Powers…..we shall uphold ours" was the last thing Lord Kobra said to Derek before the connection was cut. Derek leaned back in his chair with a smile on his face.

"Everything is coming together….now nothing can stand in my way" he said to himself with a satisfied feeling washing over him.

* * *

**Later that Day-McGinnis Apartment- 2:00 pm**

"MOM! IS THIS ALL OF DAD'S STUFF" asked/shouted Terry from his room. He was sitting in the middle of his floor with all of his Dad's possessions thrown everywhere. Mary McGinnis walked into her son's room and immediately frowned upon seeing the mess and his father's things thrown around.

"Terry what are you doing to your Father's things!?" she demanded.

"I'm looking for something Mom and I need to find it now…it's important"

"Well what is it?"

"SOMETHING!" shouted Terry '_Calm down McGinnis…..you're directing your anger at the wrong person…cool it'_ he thought to himself, "Sorry Mom I'm just looking for something of Dad's and I can't find it and I've been looking for hours now." He said tiredly.

"Well Terry this is all of your Father's things….there nothing else"

"Great" he said standing up.

"I'm sorry honey."

"No….it's okay Mom I'll find it"

"Alright" she replied leaving his room.

'_I'm exhausted…damn it… here's the plan…..I'm gonna catch 2 hours of sleep and then get back up and try to find this damn thing before that one eyed bastard kills all of us'_ he thought while going over to his bed and laying down. Laying there he stared up at the ceiling in thought. He let out a sigh and then turned to the left and saw the framed photo of him and his dad fishing. He picked up the framed photo and looked at it for the 50th time.

"Dad…..I'm sorry I never listened to you…..I'm sorry I've been such a jackass to you and Mom…I promise I'll protect Matt and Mom….and I swear I'll find who killed you and make them pay" he said as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Hours Later: 9:45pm McGinnis Apartment**

**Beep! Beep! Beep! **Went an alarm in Terry's room; groggily he opened his eyes and searched for the noise. Terry looked at his clock and saw that it was flashing 12:00; rubbing his eyes he pulled out his cell phone and looked at the time and immediately jumped up.

'_SHIT I OVERSLEPT!"_ he thought urgently and as Terry jumped up the framed photo that was on his chest fell off and hit the ground shattering upon impact. Terry saw it hit the ground and break apart.

"Damn it" Terry growled grabbing at the pieces of the broken framed photo, but he noticed something among the pieces. He shifted through them and he saw what he had been searching for the last several hours.

"The Disc" he said picking it up, _'Now all I gotta do is wait for this Mr. Fixx guy to show up and…..hold on…what's to stop this guy from murdering me and my family once I hand this disc over…I wonder what's on this thing and just what the hell Dad was involved in. I'm gonna watch it…..but not here though…might have the place bugged or something…OH! I know the perfect place' _he thought while grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

* * *

**Neo-Gotham Public Library**

Terry walked into the library and saw that it was mostly empty which was good for him meaning that there were no prying eyes and that it was a better chance of him spotting someone that may be spying upon him. Looking around he saw that the computers were free, so he went over to the furthest computer and sat down in the chair. He took the disc out of his pocket and was about to put it in the computer when someone called out his name.

"TERRY!"

He whipped around to see who was calling him and he was surprised to see a very familiar face.

"Max? What are you doing here?"

"Homework. I'm in College remember. The better question is what are you doing here?"

"Just come here and be quiet" he whispered looking around. Max with raised eyebrows walked towards Terry and leaned on the desk. Terry took the disc and put it into the computer drive.

"What's this…a dirty movie?" she asked in a playful tone.

"Shhhhhh….and no it's not a dirty moive….but something that my Dad was involved int" he replied just as a screen popped up with an empty chair and then a man came into view

"_If you're watching this….it means….it means I've failed…." _

* * *

**A few minutes later**

"HOLY SHIT!" Max exclaimed with wide eyes.

"That pretty much sums it up" Terry replied leaning back in his chair, "Derek Powers…Kobra…."

"Where the hell did you get this Terry?"

"Earlier today some guy calling himself Mr. Fixx holds me at gun point and says My Dad had a disc that belonged to his employer and if I didn't find it he was gonna kill me, my Mom, and Matt, well I found the disc."

"Oh My God…..Jesus McGinnis, you are just a magnet for trouble do you know that"

"…." Terry didn't reply he just sat there staring at the computer screen with an angry scowl on his face.

"What are you thinking right now?"

"I'm thinking….I'm thinking my Dad wasn't killed by Jokerz….I bet you a million credits that he found this disc…..and this guy Derek Powers found out that he had it and then he probably got Mr. Fixx guy to kill him and get the disc back….but my Dad hid it"

"Excellent detective skills there McGinnis…..so what now what are you gonna do"

"What can I do Max?"

"Go to the police"

"Pfffft….Fixx told me that he and his employer, Powers, are very close with the cops….basically they're on his payroll."

"Damn" she sigh folding her arms across her chest.

"I'm screwed"

"No don't talk like that Terry…..there's got to be someone you can take this disc to…someone in this city that Powers doesn't own"

Then, as if he was struck by lightening Terry jerk his head up and looked at Max with hope in his eyes. She stared back at him and at the smile on his face.

"Max you're a genius…I know what I'm going to do" he said while pushing the eject button on the computer. The computer spit out the disc and Terry grabbed it and put it in his pocket.

"Wait hold on…what are you gonna do?" she asked quickly

"I'm going to fight fire with fire Max…money with money" He stated while standing up

"What…McGinnis you're not making any sense"

"There is someone in this city that Powers doesn't own….Bruce Wayne"

"…The old recluse….what does he have to do with this, and what makes you think he'll help you"

"I sorta met him last night and help him…he owes me. I'll show him the disc…he'll know what to do" said Terry with a knowing smile.

"Are you sure about this."

"Definitely"

"I don't know Terry"

"Trust me….listen I need a quick favor"

"What is it?"

"I need a ride"

* * *

**15 mintues later:: Wayne Manor: :Front Gate**

**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH! **Went the silver convertible as it came to halt in front of Wayne Manor.

"Here McGinnis? This is where you wanted to go" came the voice of Dana Tan.

"Yeah this is it thanks Dana. If you keep on this rode it curves around back to the highway" he said while jumping out of the convertible and walking around to the driver's side.

"Thanks again" he said

"Don't thank me. Thank the fact that I owe Max a favor" Dana replied

"Regardless you didn't have to do it" he said leaning a little bit closer

"Look Terry don't make a bi….mmmph" went Dana as Terry quickly leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Dana quickly pulled away from the kiss.

"Don't. Do That. Again" she said with narrowed eyes

"I was just showing you how grateful I was"

"Next time keep your gratitude" she said slamming her foot on the gas and screeching away from the Mansion and Terry kicking up a dust cloud in the process.

"Oh yeah….she wants me….but I'll worry about her later. Right now I gotta deal with this guy" he said to himself going up to the gate.

* * *

Looking at the gate Terry thought about trying to climb over it and was about to when he looked to the left and saw a small intercom system in the brick wall.

_'That works too' _he thought to himself going over to the intercom and pressing the button.

"Hey Old Man…it's me the kid from last night, my name is Terry McGinnis and I need to talk to you open up"

"…."

"Look there's something rotten going on in you company and it might've gotten my Dad killed I need your help"

"…."

"DON"T ACT LIKE YOU CAN"T HERE ME YOU OLD BASTARD! I NEED HELP OPEN THE GATE!"

"….."

"Please"

"….."

"FINE! DON'T HELP ME! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GREAT HERO BUT YOU'RE NO BATMAN!" shouted Terry stepping away from the intercom. He balled up his fist and was about to walk away when he heard the gate doors creak open. He smiled a little and then made his way through the gates and up the winding path that lead to the mansion. Unknown to Terry Bruce was at the window looking at him with a hard stare as he walked towards the mansion.

* * *

**Later: Bat Cave: Bat Computer**

Bruce took the disc out of the computer and balled up his fist in anger.

"Powers is using my company to produce nerve gas for a terrorist organization" Bruce growled angrily.

"Yeah and my Dad found out and Powers had this guy named Mr. Fixx murder him and now he said if I didn't hand this disc over to him he would kill me, my brother and my Mom"

"He was going to do that anyway. He's just toying with you, Powers can't risk this disc getting out so he was gonna kill anyone associated with your Father".

"So…what's the plan?"

"The plan is to turn this disc over to the police and get you and your family into witness protection" Bruce stated.

"WHAT!"

"You heard me"

"No. Fuck that, I'm not getting scarred off by this Powers guy. Gotham is my home and my brother and Mother's home. We're not….I'm not leaving it"

"You have a better idea kid"

"Yeah I do and it involves Batman"

"No….I'm retired"

"So…So un-retire or something….anything other than going to the police….Fixx said Powers owns the police"

"He doesn't own Commissioner Gordon" said Bruce standing up.

"Maybe he does…Come on"

"I'm retired" Bruce replied firmly passing Terry and heading for the stairs that would take him out of the Bat Cave.

"Don't you have any friends you can call that can be Batman for you or something?"

"I don't have friends." Bruce replied over his shoulder

"You don't have…..Fine…I'll be Batman then"

Bruce stopped in his tracks and turned to face Terry slightly.

"Out of the question"

"So that's it then. Hand it over to the police and hope that Powers doesn't own Gordon and hope that my family and I don't end up as another Gotham City murder statistic"

"…." Bruce didn't reply he simply turned and resumed walking towards the steps.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Terry roared.

"I've been called worse"

'_No…..NO…..I'm not gonna risk my family on a goddamn maybe. Power probably owns Gordon. He owns everything. Well Bruce…..if you won't do anything, it looks like I'm going to have to take this into my own hands'_ Terry thought while balling up his fist.

"HEY!" Terry called out. Bruce stopped just as he put a foot on the steps that led out of the Bat cave and he turned to Terry again.

"What is it?"

"You're right this is a matter for the cops to handle" Terry said as he made his way over to Bruce, "But this is also a matter for Batman to handle"

"I told you I'm…..ARGH!" grunted Bruce as Terry quickly punched him in the jaw and then delivered a very hard left hook to his jaw again knocking him out. Terry caught Bruce before he fell and gently laid him on the floor.

"Sorry Old Man…..but I wasn't talking about you" he said patting him on the shoulder while looking up at the stair case that led up to the cases with the Bat suits inside.

He ran up the steps and he passed most of the cases until he came to the last one. He opened the case and he took out the futuristic bat suit with the blood red bat symbol on the front and he held it up.

"Well Bruce said that you were retired…I think it's time you made a comeback" he said, as he began to take off his clothes and put on the Bat suit.

* * *

**30 minutes later**

"Ugh….." groaned Bruce opening his eyes. He slowly sat up and then rubbed his jaw that was pounding with pain. Carefully standing up he looked around for any sign of Terry, but he didn't see him.

'_Damn kid…..he has a killer one two left hook'_ he thought to himself as he tried to go up the steps, but before he took another step he remember the last thing Terry said before he sucker punch him.

'_No_' thought Bruce quickly looking at the cases. He immediately noticed that one of the cases was open and he was missing a Bat suit "That stupid little…" he growled angrily gripping his cane tightly. Bruce turned and started towards the Bat computer, but before he got half way towards the computer he turn to the left and he saw something else that was missing from the cave: The batmobile.

* * *

**11:30pm: High Above Neo-Gotham**

"**WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"** shouted Batman as he pushed on the thrusters and made the batmobile zoom faster through the crisp Neo-Gotham skyline.

"This is so fucking cool!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly the computer began to beep and flashing something on the viewing screen.

"Batman. Intended target reached" went the computer. Batman slowly eased off the thrusters until it came to a slow stop and hovered in the air high above the city shielded by the thick clouds.

"Alright….McGinnis…these guys killed your Father…..show no mercy" he said to himself as he grabbed the levers in the ceiling and pulled them down. The bottom of the batmobile opened and he fell out.

* * *

'_SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!_' he thought loudly to himself as he fell. Batman flailed his limbs as he fell through the sky, but when he flailed his arms wide enough he activated the glider wings under his arms. Immediately his falling turned into fast paced gliding.

"SCHWAY!" he shouted gliding down towards the roof of Wayne Powers.

* * *

Batman reached the roof and roughly tumbled across the roof of Wayne-Powers building.

'_Ow__...A little rough on the landing….but I'll work on that later'_ he thought to himself as he rose to his feet. After standing up he went over to the ledge and he looked over.

"Long way down" he said. Continuing to look over the edge he saw a smaller ledge that was big enough for a person to walk upon. Batman hopped over the edge and carefully landed on the small ledge. He walked along the ledge until it came to a corner; peeking around the corner he spotted the very large window that led to the office of Derek Powers, which was the only office on the top floor of the building. He looked in the office and saw Derek and Mr. Fixx in a heated conversation. Batman leaned a little further to see if he make out what they were saying when he almost lost his balance on the ledge.

'_SHIT!'_ he cursed in his mind, while trying to steady himself but as he did that he put his gloved hand on the window.

"GODDAMN IT FIXX!"

"Whoa" said Batman as he took his hand off the window and looked at it. He then looked at the window again and saw that they were still arguing but he couldn't hear them. He put his hand back on the window and then he could hear them as clear as day.

'_I love this suit'_

* * *

**Inside the office**

"GODDAMN IT FIXX!"

"Will you relax"

"NO I WILL NOT RELAX. YOU TOLD SOME KID ABOUT THE DISC"

"I had to if I wanted to find it Mr. Powers"

"This is getting out of hand…"

"No it isn't you are just overreacting. Once the kid finds the disc or even if he doesn't find the disc I'll kill him and the whole family"

"You should have done that hours ago."

"Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"Yes I am"

"Careful Mr. Powers I'm a reasonable Man….but I take my work seriously and when someone starts to question my work, **I **tend to overreact…..no matter how rich they are" said Mr. Fixx narrowing his eyes. He and Derek stood there staring at each other to see who was going to yield first and it was Derek.

"You're right…I apologize if I've offended you, but you know how jittery I get when my reputation and life is at stake"

"I do, but when I say trust me Mr. Powers, you should take my advice and trust me. I will kill the McGinnis family first thing in the morning and you can put this whole thing behind you"

"Thank you Mr. Fixx…that's all that I want"

"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Yes. I'm meeting some Kobra agents at Gotham Harbor at 12:30, I would appreciate some company"

"I will escort you there along with my men"

"Thank you Mr. Fixx"

"Do you expect trouble?"

"None whatsoever….but it never hurts to be cautious" said Derek with a smile.

* * *

**Outside**

Batman took his hand off the window and balled it up into a fist.

"They are responsible for killing my Dad….and now their planning on killing us tomorrow…not if Batman can stop them both right now" he said.

* * *

**2 minutes ago**

Just as Batman hopped over the edge, the door that led to the roof was kicked open by five men in futuristic white armor suits. They had their weapons drawn and searching for any sign of trouble.

"Spread out" said the leader of the unit. The five men spread out along the roof and were carefully searching for anything.

"Hey guys over here" said one of them. The five men in white armor rushed over.

"What is it" asked the leader.

"Switch to infrared scanners" he said. They all switched to infrared, and they all saw a set of footprints that led to the edge of the roof. They followed the footprints to the edge and to the ledge where they saw the footprints leading around the building.

"Let's go" said the leader hopping over and following the footprints.

"Yes sir" his men responded following him.

* * *

**Present**

Batman raised his fist and got ready to hit the glass, but he was interrupted.

"HEY! HANDS UP FREAK!"

Batman immediately turned around and saw five men in white armor uniforms with their weapons aimed at him.

"Aren't you a little early for Halloween?" one of them asked.

"But I'm just in time for fall" Batman quipped just before he jumped off the ledge. The armored men started firing at the falling Batman hoping to hit him but Batman spread his arms and the gliders activated and he glided out of the way of their lasers and into the Neo-Gotham air traffic.

"DAMMIT IT HE GOT AWAY!" shouted the leader. He put his hand to his ear and touched the communicator.

* * *

**Derek's office**

"What is it" asked Mr. Fixx as he heard his communicator beep in his ear.

_"Some freak was on the ledge looking into Powers office"_ came the voice over the line.

"Did you get him?"

_"No he got away"_

"What did he look like?"

_"He looked like one of those Goddamn Knightbreed characters that's been around town"_

"Alright calm down. We'll look into it later right now get your ass to the car we're going to Gotham Harbor for a job"

"Yes sir" the leader responded cutting the line.

Mr. Fixx took his hand away and looked at Derek.

"Is there a problem?" Powers asked.

"No. Nothing you need to concern yourself with are we leaving?"

"Yes we are" said Derek coming from around his desk and heading for the door with Mr. Fixx following behind him.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Batman was gliding towards the ground when suddenly the suit went stiff and an electric shock coursed throughout the suit. **BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!**

"ARGHHHHHHH!" yelled Batman as the painful shock made him crash to the ground hard. As suddenly as the shock came it went away "ARGH!...w-what…..w-was…t-that"

_"That was me"_ came a voice from inside Batman's mask

"Old Man"

_"Mr. Wayne to you boy"_ he responded sending another shock coursing through the suit, **BZZZZZZZZZZ!**

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_"The hell do you think you're doing Boy"_

"O-O-kay…..y-you're mad I get that…b-but you weren't going to d-do anything….I had…."

_"You had to steal my suit"_ growled Bruce. **BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!**

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Batman shouted again.

* * *

His loud shouting drew the attention of three passing individuals, who looked like they were up to no good. The three guys made their way over to the downed Batman and looked at him.

* * *

"Lookie here fellas looks like we got a lost Knightbreed"

"Yeah…you a little lost buddy" asked the second guy.

"What are we gonna do with him boys"

"I say we beat his ass"

"Excellent plan"

"Boys let's kick this guys ass, just like his friends have been doing to guys like us for years"

The three guys proceed to stomp and punch on the frozen Batman.

* * *

**Bat cave**

Bruce was sitting in front of his computer watching the whole thing through the video link inside the Batman mask.

"Oooomph…ARGH! O-Old Man…..AH! Give me control…..ARGH!...I'm kinda in trouble here"

"Return my suit" Bruce stated.

"I….OUCH!...can't if I'm dead….ARGH!"

"….."

"Hello…OOOMPH….OLD MAN!"

"…."

"ARGH!...okay Mr. Wayne" Batman growled over the line.

Bruce let out a small smirk and then he pressed a button on the Bat computer and immediately Terry was given control of the suit again.

* * *

**Streets of Neo-Gotham **

"YEAH HIT EM AGAIN" shouted one of the guys. Batman felt himself get control of the suit again and he caught the oncoming foot from one of the guys and kicked him in the groin. He then quickly rolled away from the other two and stood up and put his fist into a ready position. The other two guys charged in at him, but Batman was ready. He blocked the first punch and responded with a right cross; as he did the right cross he quickly turned and did a kick that connected the last guy's stomach sending him skidding back.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" shouted Batman to the three of them. They each got up despite their injuries and limped away. Batman seeing them leave let out a sigh of relief and then a groan in pain.

"Old Bastard"

"_I heard that"_

"Good…were you trying to kill me"

"….."

"No answer I guess you were"

"_Return my suit"_ Bruce commanded.

"Not yet"

_"I see you like electric shocks"_

"Look…Powers and Fixx are planning to kill me and my family tomorrow I had to do something and it's not like you were using it"

_"Commissioner Gordon….."_

"Yeah Yeah I know Commissioner Gordon…yeah you know her, but I don't and I couldn't risk my family's safety on your word. I need actual help. I needed Batman's help, but like you said you were retired. So the only option I had left was to take the suit"

"…."

"Please…..look I'll return this suit after I take care of Powers and Fixx they are going to Gotham harbor to meet those Kobra guys…I have to…."

_"NO! You're going to get yourself killed"_ Bruce shouted.

"No I'm not….look Mr. Wayne…..No….not Mr. Wayne…..Batman….listen to me this is my chance to bring the people that murdered my father to Justice….Isn't that what you used to do…bring criminals to justice. Well two of the biggest Criminals in Neo-Gotham are about to get away and instead of helping me, you're just going to sit on your ass, well if that's what you want to do then so be it…but not me….I'm going to fight….and I'm going to do it with this suit or without it. So even if you take it away from me I'm going to go back out and take on Powers and Fixx and possibly die and be another statistic or maybe….maybe I can keep this suit and take out these guys and hopefully shine a little light on the darkness that this city is infested with."

"…."

_"Batman are you there"_

"…...it's 12: 10….if you hurry you can make it to Gotham harbor before the deal happens"

"How, I left the batmobile in the sky I can't get to it"

_"In the suit there are built in rockets in the boots"_ Bruce answered.

"What! Really…how do I turn them on?"

_"The suit is movement sensitive….curl your feet and that will activate them…I'm slightly surprised that you have activated them by now"_

Batman looked down at his feet and the curl them. The rockets came to life and propelled him off the ground. He spread his wings and flew towards the sky, heading for the batmobile

_"Where are you going?"_

"To the batmobile"

"Leave it…you can make it to the harbor on your own"

"Schway" said Batman as he changed directions and headed for the harbor.

* * *

**Gotham Harbor: 12: 27 am **

Batman landed on building that overlooked the Harbor and he saw a hovering transport truck surrounded by men in white armored suits; he also saw a limo and standing next to the limo was Derek Powers and Mr. Fixx and they were looking at the water waiting for what he assumed were the Kobra terrorist.

Batman was about to fly down there until he was stopped by Bruce's voice over the com link.

_"Wait"_ he said

"Why"

_"Just wait"_

* * *

**Down Below**

"It's 12:30 exactly, where are they?" Mr. Fixx asked.

"Just wait…they will be here any second…they too have a thing for punctuality just like yourself Mr. Fixx" replied Derek.

A section of the water that was closest to the docking port start to rise and rise and then suddenly something burst through the water. It was a long deep green military submarine. The submarine inched closer and closer until it hit the docking port with a loud **BANG! **The left side of the green colored Submarine opened and several men and women in tight green and yellow jumpsuits with sophisticated weapons in their hands filed out in a straight line and towards the dock. In the middle of the men and woman was an intimidating figure. He was tall almost 7'0ft in height, the figure had a massive muscular build with a green cloak covering his body and face but the metal gauntlets on both of his hands and his metal toed boots peeked through. Anyone could easily see that metal boots and the tips on his hand gauntlets were razor sharp.. The figure looked up and spotted Powers, a growl escaped his throat but he pushed it back and proceeded to walk over to him and he was closely followed by the Kobra henchmen.

* * *

**Across the Way- **

"Whoa…who is that guy?" Batman whispered.

_"McGinnis"_

"Yeah"

"_On your suit there is a cloaking device"_

"How do I turn it on?"

_"Grasp the circular buckle on your utility belt turn it once"_

Batman looked down at his utility belt and he grabbed the circular buckle and he turned it; he heard his suit give a slight hum and then all of the color sucked out of his suit until he was invisible. He looked at his hands and he could see through them.

"HA! I'm invisible…..I love this suit" he said with a smile

_"You're not invisible…you're cloaked." _

"What's the difference" Batman asked.

"_Listen, carefully make your way over to them….element of surprise is how you're going to come out of this fight alive"_

"Right" Batman replied jumping off of the building he was on.

* * *

**Down Below**

"Powersssssssssss….we are here for the gassssssssss" came the voice of the cloaked figure.

"Zander so good to hear that singing voice of yours" Derek quipped.

"Your atemptsssss at humor do not amuse me…..my father toleratesssssssssss you Powerssssssss…but once I take over Kobra….." Zander started before being interrupted.

"That will never happen Zander" Derek waved.

"Don't be to sure Powerssssssssss"

Derek narrowed his eyes and then the turned to his white armor men and he nodded to the truck. The leader nodded and he and three of his men went to the back of the hovering truck and opened it. They went inside briefly and then they each came out with a hovering platform that had two stacks of medium sized gray cylinders on them. They brought the hovering platforms over to where Derek was standing and they waited for his command.

"My item" Derek stated holding out his hand.

"Nerve gasssssss first"

"Fine…..load it up" said Derek

"Yes sir" the men replied as they started to direct the hovering platforms over to the massive submarine.

Zander glared at powers from under his hood but as he did that he saw something strange. Focusing more he saw something move behind Mr. Fixx, and his eyes widen.

"INTRUDER!" he yelled pointing behind Mr. Fixx. Everyone began looking for the intruder and while they did that Mr. Fixx turned around and when he did he received a hard uppercut that lifted him off his feet slightly and sent him crashing to the ground. Derek took a step back in shock when Mr. Fixx went down because he didn't see anyone there. His eyes widened when he felt himself being grabbed by the front of his coat and lifted off off his feet. Suddenly the intruder fully revealed himself to everyone that was gathered. The suit hummed and then he was revealed.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" Derek Shouted seeing him.

The intruder pulled Derek close and said two words; two words that sent a tendril of fear through the spines of everyone except Zander, who stood in his spot watching him with close piercing eyes.

"**I'M BATMAN!**" he shouted head butting Powers in the nose and then tossed him to the ground. Powers tumbled across the dirt until he hit one of the platforms that was carrying the gray cylinders.

"KILL HIM" yelled Zander as his men opened fire at him. Batman activated the rockets and he took to the air.

* * *

"_McGinnis….Break the line of sight….there are smoke bombs in the front left pocket_" came Bruce's voice over the com link.

* * *

Batman, who was high in the air quickly pressed the pocket button and 10 round black balls rolled into his hand he threw the smoke bombs to the ground and thick black smoke filled the entire area.

* * *

_"McGinnis press down on the side of your eye sockets, the suits sensors will recognize the pressure and automatically switch to heat sensors and you'll be able to see" _said Bruce again

* * *

Batman landed on the ground in the heart of the thick smoke and pressed the eye sockets. Immediately everything went from black smoke to brightly colored moving objects.

"Schway" he said while charging to the first heat signature he saw. Batman delivered a vicious right hook to the person's jaw and then jumped and kicked the next person in the head knocking them down. Batman whipped around to another heat signature and threw out a punch sending them flying back. Batman then scanned the area and still saw people scrambling around trying to shoot him, but they couldn't see him because of the smoke. Batman kept looking until his eyes landed on two people Powers who was slowly getting up from where he was tossed and then Mr. Fixx who was also standing up.

* * *

Mr. Fixx stood up and rubbed his jaw. He looked around and saw all of the smoke; he waved a hand in front of his face trying to see but when he took a step forward he looked up to see Batman descending with a punch that connected to his jaw. Mr. Fixx took a step back from the blow and then looked at his attacker.

"Good punch…but let's see how you do when I see you coming" he said putting up his fist. Batman charged in with a punch, but Fixx sidestepped and responded with his own punch that nailed Batman in the nose. Fixx then grabbed Batman by the horns and kneed him in the face hard. Batman stumbled but recovered in time to duck under a strike and respond with an uppercut. Fixx stumbled back wiping the blood from his mouth. He looked at the blood and then back at Batman and growled. He let out a roar and charged at him.

* * *

Derek slowly rose to his feet and he looked around. The smoke was beginning to clear so he was able to make out some of the things going on. He saw his armor men down on the ground and then he saw Mr. Fixx and Batman in an intense fight. He turned around and came face to face with Zander; Zander reached out and grabbed Powers by the jacket and effortlessly lifted him up.

"You were carelesssssssssss Powerssssssssssssss, You brought the intruder here…" he growled.

"I didn't bring him here." Derek retorted.

"Your choice of meeting place…your responsibility. Take the GASSSSSSSS!" he shouted out. The Kobra henchmen heard their master and ran to the platforms and began to guide them into the submarine.

"NO! WHAT ABOUT MY ITEM!"

"Sorry Powersssssssssss…..change of plansssssssssssssss" Zander hissed out, dropping him to the ground. Zander tturned and headed for the submarine leaving a fuming Derek Powers on the ground.

Derek growled in anger and lunged at one of the henchmen that was guiding one of the platforms.

"YOU WILL NOT SCREW ME ZANDER! NO ONE SCREWS DEREK POWERS!"

* * *

Fixx had Batman by the neck and was strangling him.

"HA….you're no Batman you're a wanna be" he growled applying more pressure to his neck. Batman struggled against the grip and while he was doing that he glanced and saw Derek lung at one of the green garbed henchmen.

* * *

_"McGINNIS GO FOR THE EYES…THE EYES!"_ shouted Bruce

* * *

Batman looked Mr. Fixx in the eyes and then quickly jammed two fingers into his sockets.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted Fixx dropping him. Batman kicked him away and then stood up. He growled and then charged at his enemy. Batman closed the distance and lashed out with a left hook to the jaw, then a right punch to the jaw, a right hook, a left hook again followed by a kick to the stomach, and an elbow to the face. Over and Over Batman pounded on Fixx until he put all of his strength into one last punch which knocked Fixx off of his feet and to the ground unconscious.

"That was for my Dad" he said while standing over him; he gave Fixx one last kick to the face, "That was for me".

Batman let out a breath and then looked up. He saw Powers punch one of the henchmen and grabbed a hold one of the hovering platforms. He then saw the tall hooded figure turn to Powers and hold up his clawed hand and charge forward with the intent to kill him.

* * *

_"McGinnis flick your wrist…hold your arm up….aim and throw" _Bruce ordered.

* * *

Batman flick his wrist and from his wrist and a red a black batarang slipped out and into his hand. He held up his arm and he threw with all of his might. The batarang sailed through the air and towards the unsuspecting Zander. Zander glanced out the corner of his eye and saw the batarang coming; he ducked and it missed him but it continued on and hit one of the gray containers chipping the side of it and letting out a thick toxic orange smog that hit and engulfed the people close to it namely Zander and Derek Powers.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Derek screamed as the nerve gas hit him and he inhaled it.

"ARGH!" yelled Zander as he fell to the ground from breathing in the gas.

* * *

"Shit I missed" said Batman as he saw the orange smog start to fill the area.

"_McGINNIS HOLD YOU BREATHE…FLY OUT OF THERE NOW!"_ shouted Bruce over the com link

Batman took in a deep breath and flew towards the sky right before the gas reached him.

* * *

The Kobra henchman let go of the platforms they were carrying and ran to the down Zander, they quickly grabbed him and carried him back to the submarine despite the fact that they all breathed in the nerve gas. The submarine quickly started up and backed out from the port and sunk back into the water.

* * *

Powers after breathing in the gas ran to his limo coughing uncontrollably. He got into the driver's seat and started the limo up and drove off. He had precisely 13 minutes to get to his secret lab and have his scientist cure him.

* * *

Batman was hovering in the sky and he watched everyone as they tried to get away from the gas, but they all fell down to the ground coughing uncontrollably and screaming in agony.

"POWERS IS GETTING AWAY!" he shouted seeing Derek drive off in the limo.

_"McGinnis forget him you have to get rid of that gas before it reaches the city"_ said Bruce

"I'm open for Ideas" he replied

_"While you've been fighting I've also been analyzing this gas…..heat…..we need an explosion one big enough to burn all this gas away…..listen McGinnis third pocket on the right….are your bat bombs take all of them out and throw them directly into the center of where the gas is most concentrated….do it now"_

Batman reached into the pocket and out slipped 9 miniature bat shaped items. He then flew to the center of where the gas was spreading and he threw them in. The bat bombs fell through the air and then hit the ground. Once they touched the ground they detonated and let out a hug explosion.

**BABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM ! BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! **The fiery explosion from the bombs began to burn away the orange gas. The explosion covered the entire area continuing to burn away the toxic substance. Batman flew downward and tried to grab Mr. Fixx but when he turned him over half his was filled with big black thick burns. Mr. Fixx then started to convulse and foam at the mouth, black blood oozed from his ears, nose, eyes and mouth. He gave one last violent shake before he stopped breathing.

* * *

_'McGINNIS GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"_ shouted Bruce

* * *

Batman looked and saw the explosion heading for him. He took to the sky again, just narrowly avoiding the fire. He hovered in the sky for a second before he turned and saw police cars heading his away; throwing one last look at the harbor and seeing there was nothing else he could do he turned and flew away into the night.

* * *

**Powers Secret Lab: 12 minutes and 20 seconds later**

"HURRY UP HE HAS ABOUT 40 MORE SECONDS UNTIL HE'S DEAD!" shouted a scientist as Derek Powers came stumbling into the secret lab. Several lab assistants grabbed Derek and began to strip him and they stripped him they saw his skin was filled with deep black burns, his entire body was almost covered in them. Suddenly he started to bleed out of his nose, eyes, and mouth. The scientist brought him over to a machine and laid him down on the flat surface. The top portion of the machine began to lower over him and it closed upon him with a loud hiss.

"HURRY UP!" the same scientist shouted out.

"Sir the Machine is ready"

"Good up the radiation to 100%" the lead scientist shouted.

"Sir no human can withstand that much radiation"

"Did you see how much the nerve gas has progressed through his system anything less won't work now do it"

"Yes sir….Radiation at 100%"

"Excellent he we go 3….2...1…"

The machine gave off a loud hum as it flooded Derek with intense green radiation.

* * *

**3 Hours later**

"Okay shut it off"

The radiation machine was quickly shut off and all of the scientist let out a sigh of relief. They were looking at Derek's vitals and they all saw that he was still alive and that all traces of the nerve gas had been eradicated from his system.

"Open the machine" the lead scientist ordered.

"Yes Sir"

The lab assistant typed a few keys on a computer and the top of the machine began to lift, but as it lifted off of Derek a bright green glow filled the entire lab.

"Good lord" the head scientist whispered as he laid eyes on his boss he cautiously walked towards him while continuing to look him over.

"Mr. Powers" he said softly

"Ugh….d-did it work" came Derek's voice.

"Um…yes….It worked Mr. Powers the Nerve gas is completely gone from your system…but.."

"B-But what?"

"T-The radiation treatment has….…yielded some side effects" said the scientist

"What side effects"

"…."

"WHAT SIDE EFFECTS!" Derek yelled grabbing the scientist but as he grabbed him he got a look at his hand. He saw that he could see through his arm and at his bones, but not only that but his arm was glowing bright neon green. He shoved the scientist out of the way and quickly got up. He went towards the nearest metal surface in the secret lab and he looked at himself. He saw that his skin was transparent and he could see his entire skeleton and that his entire body had the same neon green color.

"No" he whispered at first "no…..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, but as he shouted he started to glow even more.

* * *

**Next Day: McGinnis Apartment: 1:00 pm**

**Beep! Beep! Beep!** Went Terry's alarm clock. Terry rolled over in his bed and began to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his 10yr old brother Matt McGinnis. Matt looked just like his brother with the same dark hair and obsidian eyes.

"Hey, are you sleeping?" his brother asked

"Get out of my room twerp" Terry replied with narrow eyes.

"Hey I'm not a twerp!" Matt exclaimed punching his brother in the arm.

"Yeah you are…why are you in here?"

"Mom wanted me to check to see if you were up…some old guy is here to see you" he replied

Upon hearing that Terry lifted his head from his pillow and looked at his little brother.

"Old guy?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he said you saved his life and he was giving you a reward" said Matt as he headed for the door, "Oh yea….and Dana called"

"She did!" Terry exclaimed jumping up even more.

"No…but you were mumbling her name in your sleep…..oh Dana….Oh Dana…that feels so…."

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU" Terry growled jumping out of his bed and rushing towards his baby brother.

"AHH MOM!" shouted Matt running out of the room.

* * *

**Living Room**

Terry ran out of his room and towards the living room and he saw his mother on the couch talking to very familiar face.

"Oh Terry…..glad to see you're up Mr. Wayne and I were just talking about you"

"Really" said Terry walking further into the living room all the while looking at Bruce who was looking back at him.

"Yes we were Terry…I was just telling your mother how you saved my life the other day from some Jokerz who were trying to steal my wallet"

"Oh My God….are you alright!" Marry exclaimed.

"Oh yes I'm fine…your son was able to fight off the Jokerz before they could take anything. I tried to offer Terry a reward but the young man refused such an offer"

"As he should, we've always told Terry that helping people should be the reward, not receiving a reward for helping".

"An excellent teaching Mrs. McGinnis. I can see that Terry comes from a good background" said Bruce with a charming smile.

"Oh Mr. Wayne stop."

"No it's true Mrs. McGinnis….Terry's actions…have…..have inspired me" started Bruce turning to look at the young man, "I had long ago lost faith in Gotham….I thought that there was no more good left in this city…but it seems I was wrong. There is still some good left…it's just being overshadowed, but there was an old saying that a friend of my once told me….He said that it's always darkest before the dawn…and he also used to say that a lone voice in the dark can stir many…..and Mrs. McGinnis your son was that voice, and its time to stir many"

"What do you mean Mr. Wayne?" Mary asked.

"I have recently found out something about my company that has upset me, and I realized that I've been out of the loop for far too long. When I was a younger man I struck a deal with someone and it was a deal that even to this day I still regret,but it's no use dwelling on the past. It's time to move on to the future. I'm going to actively start running my company again and doing things my way, but the problem is that I'm a little bit older, so there are few things that I can't do. I need someone a bit younger, and I want to offer Terry a job".

"Really" asked Mary standing up in joy.

"Yes. I called a friend of mine and she told me that Mr. McGinnis has just been paroled from the juvenile correction facility and one of the provisions of his release is that he needs to get a job."

"That's right he has to get a job, get himself enrolled in school and check in with a parole officer….which reminds me…."she started before turning to look at Terry but Bruce caught her attention again.

"If you want I can pull a few strings and get him accepted into Hamilton University, free of charge of course and not only that if he agrees to my job I can make it so that I'm his…check up person"

"If you could do that Mr. Wayne that would be great" said Mary with a smile and wide eyes.

"Hold on Mr. Wayne" came Terry's voice as he walked closer to Bruce and his mother, "This job….what will I be doing exactly?"

"Mostly running errands…doing a little bit of this….and a little bit of that…..a go-fer if you will, but I warn you Terry….this job will not be easy and it won't be something you will enjoy…..I've been told that I can be difficult to work with, but if you feel that you can endure me and my rules then the job is yours" said Bruce staring Terry in his eyes.

"Mr. Wayne one thing about me you can count on…..is my ability to handle almost anything" Terry replied returning Bruce's stare, without an ounce of fear.

"Well then, Terry McGinnis…..Welcome to my World" said Bruce holding out his right hand. Terry looked down at Bruce's outstretched hand and then he smirked. Terry held up his own hand and shook his hand; and with that simple handshake a new era had begun. The darkness that had gripped Gotham City for the past 22 years looked a little dimmer; with that simple handshake Terry McGinnis had been passed a torch, a torch that many have carried and have carried with pride; with that simple handshake: The Legacy of the World's Greatest Detective, The Legacy of the Caped Crusader, The Legacy of the Batman, and The Legacy of The Dark Knight had been…...**REBORN. **

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey readers it's me back again with the closing comments. Whew! This chapter was a beast. This chapter went through many many revisions until I settled for this one….which by the way is an epic chapter if I do say so myself, but I say that about everything I write…..I want you the readers out there to tell me what you thought of the first story arc in my Batman Beyond story. Was it epic or was it weak. Just drop me a review and let me know what you thought. Also I would like to say thank-you to everyone who has reviewed so far I'm very excited that all of you are enjoying it so far. Trust me though when I say that the craziness in the lives of Terry and Bruce has only just begun….just think about what would happen if I added Damian Wayne into the mix…UH OH! I've said too much…anyway read and review and then tune back in for the next installment….this is Nomad88 saying until next time…**

**Ps: Hopefully everyone is enjoying the new revised version of these chapters. As I said before I'm trying to make the story a little bit tighter and grammatically corrected and without as many spelling and omitted mistakes. This is me saying Later…..**

**Next Up: Meet the New Batman**


	5. Meet the New Batman

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these characters ALL CREDIT goes to DC. DC owns everything I repeat I do not own these characters. I am not making any money of this story I can promise you. So please do not sue me I ask again please do not sue me. **

**Hey Readers I'm back with a brand new chapter for you. I hope everyone has been enjoy this story because I've been enjoying writing it. So having said that the only left to do is tell you readers to Read. Review(Feedback) and most importantly enjoy….**

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** Chapter 5: Meet the New Batman**

**Three Weeks Later: TV**

_Tom: Good Evening Neo-Gotham City I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always is my co-host Kim Warren_

_Kim: Thanks Tom, our top story tonight…..Batman. For those of you who do not know of Batman, he was once the supposed protector of Gotham City, when crime was running rampant in old Gotham City, but he long ago disappeared without a trace and now from the reports that we are receiving it seems he has returned. Tom._

_Tom: That's right ladies and gentlemen for the past three weeks we have been receiving reports of his return, but can we be sure this is the real Batman. The last known sighting of him was precisely 22 years ago. What would spark his return now. Kim_

_Kim: Excellent question Tom why don't we go to the streets of Gotham to find out.._

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* * *

_

_Person 1: I think its just another idiot out trying to make a name for himself or herself….the real Batman is dead. _

_Person 2: Batman is back…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….he's got to be ancient by now….right….I mean come on yeah from what my parents have told me back in the day he was the shit…but I mean…..times have changed since then…..if he's not dead yet…..either the Jokerz with kill him or maybe the knightbreed…_

_

* * *

_

_Kim: That citizen actually brings up a rather interesting point Tom _

_Tom: And what's that Kim_

_Kim: Well Tom it's been speculated that Batman was the creator of the Knightbreed syndicate, and as we all know the Knightbreed are a violent bunch of vigilantes that have been terrorizing Gotham for years now and have been dispensing their own brand of justice to people they see as criminals, I wonder how they will react to Batman's return. _

_Tom: I can tell you right now Kim they probably will not react well, but then again this may not even be the real Batman. _

_Kim: How right you are Tom_

_Tom: But if this is the real Batman….I only have one thing to say to your return…It's about Time…._

_Kim: In other news Derek Powers of Wayne Powers is under intense scrutiny after some incriminating evidence against him recently surfaced. The evidence in question reveals that Powers has been in association with a terrorist organization and he may be possibly connected to a murder involving the late Warren McGinnis, an employee of Powers. We tried to get a statement from Mr. Powers, but for the past three weeks no one has seen him. _

_Tom: Keeping along with Mr. Powers the recluse Bruce Wayne has resurfaced. I got a chance to get in a quick interview with Mr. Wayne and this is what he had to say. _

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* * *

_

_Bruce Wayne: Recent events in my life have re-sparked long buried feelings that I've spent the last 20 years of my life trying to bury and this business with Powers being associated with a Terrorist organization has given me all the reason and strength I need to get back into action and become a more active member in my company. Since I've been gone my company seems to have lost it's way, but I will personally see to it that my company is reverted back into what my parents wanted it to stand for….._

_Tom: MR. Wayne don't you think you're a little too…old, to be running a multi-billion dollar company. _

_Bruce: Despite my age…..I'm not dead yet_

_

* * *

_

**Powers-Secret Lab**

**TV**

"I'm Not dead yet"

* * *

**Crash!** went the T.V. as a remote went crashing through the screen.

"SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Derek angrily, while making himself glow bright green in the process.

"Mr. Powers's sir you have to calm down your radiation emissions are off…ACK!" went the scientist as Derek grabbed him by the throat. The scientist was wearing a special type of radiation suit that was supposed to protect him from even the most deadly emissions, but it did nothing to protect him from Derek's rage induced radiation. Derek with his brand new strength lifted the scientist off the ground with one arm.

"CALM DOWN! DON"T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN YOU WORTHLESS RODENT. IT"S BEEN THREE WEEKS AND I'M STILL STUCK AS THIS FUCKING GLOWING MONSTER, NOT TO MENTION ALL THE ATTENTINO I'M RECEIVING IN THE MEDIA THANKS TO EVERYONE BELIEVING I'M A TERRORIST! SO UNLESS YOU HAVE A CURE DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" he shouted. As he shouted he unleashed a wave of hot green radiation that melted and destroyed several machines and equipment that was nearby.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the scientist in Derek's grasps cried out. The sudden wave of radiation hit him full force and set him on fire. The suit he had on did nothing to stop the radiation from eating through and to his bare skin. Derek dropped him to the floor and watched as the scientist rolled on the ground in complete agony as the green fire continued to burn him alive. Derek looked up at the other scientist that were in the secret lab.

"FIND A CURE OR END UP LIKE HIM!" he yelled. The other scientist immediately began to scurry about the lab in fear of Derek's wrath if they didn't find a cure for him.

* * *

**11:00 Pm: Batcave**

"McGINNIS ON YOUR LEFT!" shouted Bruce as he watched Terry fight three thugs through the video link in the Batman mask

* * *

**Streets of Gotham**

"Huh…AGH!" grunted Batman as he was punched in the face by one of the thugs. The strong attack knocked him down the ground.

'_I told you on your left'_ said Bruce through the communicator in the mask.

"No you yelled in my ear while I was fighting" Batman growled back.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" shouted a thug raising a bat above his head, trying to bring it down on Batman's head.

"Shut up Dreg" said Batman as he kicked the thug in the groin as hard as he could. The thug dropped the bat and fell to his knees in pain. Batman then kicked him in the face knocking him out. Batman rolled to his feet and held his fist at the other two thugs. The remaining two thugs rushed at him. Batman ducked under the first strike and punched the guy in the stomach making him double over. Next he grabbed the incoming kick from the second thug and he tossed the guy roughly to the ground. The guy rolled across the ground and came to a stop when he hit the wall. He looked up and saw Batman had turned back to his partner and started pounding on him.

"I aint' goin back to jail" the thug said to himself as he stood up and tried to run away, but the best he could do was limp really quickly.

"McGinnis one is getting away"

Batman elbowed the thug he was fighting in the head finally knocking him out. He turned to the right and he saw the guy trying to run away. Batman flicked his wrist and out popped a batarang. He aimed and he threw the batarang. The batarang sailed through the air and about mid way to its target it split in half and revealed a thick wire in the middle. The wire wrapped around the feet of the thug tripping him up. The wire continued to wrap around the thugs body until he was completed tied up and immobilized. Batman looked at each thug and saw that they were all down for the count; he then let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey old man I saw him"

"_Sure you did, now hurry up and tie the rest of them up, I've sent out a emergency signal and the police will be in your area soon_" said Bruce over the communication link. Batman grumbled to himself as he proceeded to tie up the reaming thugs.

After tying them up, Batman heard the sirens in the distance. He spread his arms making the glider wings pop out. Curling his feet the rockets activated and he took to the sky just as the police arrived on the scene.

* * *

**Batmoblie **

"So what's next" said Batman pushing the thrusters forward, making the Batmobile fly faster through the sky.

"Come back to the cave"

"What! Why I just got out here….like an hour ago….you know you've bee calling me back into the cave earlier and earlier for the past three days, how are we supposed to convince everyone Batman is back if I'm only out for an hour a night"

"Now McGinnis" said Bruce without any room for arguing.

"It's like talking to a Goddamn brick wall" he said under his breathe, "Computer engage cloak and set a coarse for home"

The computer gave a beep and the outside of the batmobile turned invisible and then took a sharp turn upwards and headed for Wayne Manor.

* * *

**20 Minutes later: Batcave**

The Batmobile landed on the cave floor and the top hatch opened and Batman hopped out. He landed on the ground and looked at the bat computer where he knew Bruce would be, but to his slight surprise he didn't see him.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU!" he yelled, while he walked to the computer.

"Over here McGinnis" Bruce called out.

Batman turned to the right of the computer and he saw a skinny walkway that led to a metal platform. He also saw that Bruce was standing in the center of the platform waiting for him. Batman walked along the path until he stepped onto the platform.

"Hey you never answered my question"

"Terry if you'd be quiet I'll explain everything" he said calmly

"Fine…..I'm listening"

"As you've pointed out I've been calling you in earlier, because my assessment of your abilities is finished. For the past three weeks I've only been letting you fight the bare minimum of threats, petty theft, car thieves, and only small gangs"

"Yeah I've been wondering about that"

"Quiet. I've been doing this because I wanted to judge how good at fighting you were…..Your Boxing and Kickboxing are a bit above average"

"Thanks….the Youth program at Juvenile was intense"

"I know I was on the board of trustees…..I was the on that suggested the program in the first place"

"Oh…..thanks…..great way to relieve stress"

"I know"

"Of course"

"Anyway The fighting styles you know now are not enough for the types of enemies you are going to go up against"

"Who am I going up against exactly"

"Who do you think….The Knightbreed and the Jokerz. Both of them are running rampant in Gotham and are causing the most immediate threats, if we can take them out it will make all the other criminals think twice before trying to operate in Gotham"

"Oh Yeah…..how"

"Think about it Terry…..The Knightbreed and Jokerz have several things going for them, but the one thing that they have that sticks out the most is the sheer number of members. If people were to learn that one man, let alone Batman took out both groups…they'll be afraid…..and that's all the footing we need to restore order in Gotham. Make them afraid of you"

"They're afraid of me now"

"No they aren't"

"How do you explain those thugs I took out"

"Barely took out you mean"

"What fight were you watching?"

"Terry you had trouble fighting 3 thugs, the Knightbreed and Jokerz travel in packs of 20 They would eat you alive."

"So what do you suggest?"

Bruce gave a small smirk, "Computer run Program" said Bruce. The metal platform they were standing on started to light up. Bruce stepped over to the left slightly; because in the spot that he had occupied a 3D image of a man in his mid thirties wearing a white karat gi with a black belt on appeared in the center of the platform. Batman pulled off his mask to reveal the face of Terry McGinnis. Terry walked forward until his was standing in front of the 3D image of the man and his eyes widen in recognition. He looked at Bruce and then back at the image.

"Is that…Is that you" he asked

"Yes it is…..during one of my missions as Batman I was fighting an enemy and I suffered a blow to the head. That blow caused me to have temporary amnesia. Long story short I got my memory back, but after that incident I decided to create detail files of everything that I knew, so that if I ever suffered amnesia again I would have something to jog my memories"

"Detail files of what"

"Everything one would need to know on how to be Batman. How to fight, how to throw a batarang, how to disappear, how to disarm a bomb, how to walk into a crime scene and immediately know what happened...…..etc"

"Jeez…..how many files are there?"

"Over 5,000"

"I'm guessing you didn't have a social life"

"You need to be prepared for anything McGinnis"

"I'm also guessing today you're going to teach me how to fight…how many styles do you know"

"127"

"…...can you say that again" asked Terry flabbergasted

"I know 127 forms of fighting"

"Jeez…how did you learn all of those forms…better yet how am I…..I don't think I have 30 years to master all of those"

"You don't….you're at a disadvantage. I started training to be Batman when I was 12 years old"

"Holy Shit…..12years old….really. I wonder what your parents said when you told them that" joked Terry, but when he looked at Bruce who wasn't smiling he immediately became uncomfortable under Bruce's hard stare.

"Uh….you do know that was a joke right"

"This is not a joke McGinnis…..Batman isn't a Joke…..it's a commitment of the highest proportion" Bruce said seriously

"Okay….I got it"

"Now as I was saying, you're at a disadvantage you don't have the time that I did so I had to modify your training. I've hand picked a few styles that you're going to learn that should mesh well with the styles you already have. Eventually though you're going to learn all of them, but right now you're only going to learn 8" .

"Schway….so what's first"

"Aikido…..computer begin program" said Bruce as he turned and walked off the platform and back towards the bat computer. Terry watched as Bruce left the platform. He then turned around and stared at the 3D image as it began to talk.

"Hello Bruce. This is one of the many recordings that you have done to remind yourself of certain things. The file you have activated is the martial arts file. In this file are the 127 forms of fighting that you know and have mastered. The first style that I will show you is Aikido. Aikido is the study of using your opponents force and momentum against them…

* * *

**Next Day: Hamilton University 10:00 am**

"So Class Can anyone tell me how many valves the human heart has" asked the Teacher to the class. One hand rose after he asked the question

"Yes "

"The answer is four" she replied confident in her answer

"That is correct" said the Teacher turning back to the board.

Dana let out a smile because of her correct answer and went back to writing in her notebook. Unknown to her was that her every move was being closely watched by a young man in her class and his name was Carter Wilson. Carter was 21 years old; he had dark hair that was long and tied into a ponytail that almost reached to his back, he had blue eyes and light tan skin. He had a lean muscular build, and was about 5'11 in height. If anyone were to ask about Carter, they would all tell you that he was a strange, quiet individual. He never talked to anyone, and not that many people talked to him…..that was until a few weeks ago. Carter had come to the university late one day and he accidentally bumped into Dana Tan who was also late. From that small meeting Carter developed a semi-friendship with Dana, she had introduced him to her friends and he started to go out, with them on occasion, but as the days went on he found himself wanting to spend more time with her and not her friends.

"Okay Class I believe that will be it for the day. Remember we have a test on Friday be sure to study because it counts 30% of your grade" said the Teacher to the class.

As the rest of students quickly left the class, Carter slowly stood from his seat and collected his items, but while he was doing that never once did his eyes leave Dana. Dana finished putting her items in her bag and said a goodbye to the teacher and then left the classroom. Carter followed after her.

* * *

"Hey Dana!" a voice called out to her. Dana stopped in her tracks and turned to see who was calling her.

"OH hi Carter"

"Hey. I've been meaning to talk to you" he said coming up to her.

"About what"

"I had a really good time with you guys the other night"

"Other night"

"You know the club…three weeks ago"

"Oh…..yeah, I had a good time too"

"I was wondering though, you and I were dancing and then all of a sudden you kinda took off"

"Listen Carter that had nothing to do with you….it….it's kinda hard to explain"

"Maybe you could explain it to me over drinks"

"I'm not exactly the legal drinking age"

"That didn't stop you at the club"

"How right you are"

"So how about it"

"Carter…..I…..I don't know….I don't think I would be good company"

"Well I disagree. Tonight at 8:00. You know that place over on 12th and Bard, you can't miss it. It has neon lights."

"Yeah I know that place, I've been there with…..Te….with Max. Max and I have been there..…..they don't ID"

"So I'll see you there" said Carter giving her a quick kiss on the cheek,

"Uh….sure" Dana replied stunned by the kiss on the cheek, she quickly turned and left Carter there standing by himself.

* * *

Dana was walking when another voice startled her.

"That guy has a serious thing for you" came the voice of Max. Dana turned and saw her running up to her.

"Hey Max…what are you talking about"

"Carter I saw you guys talking and I saw him kiss you" replied Max with a smile walking towards her friend

"Yeah….he kinda caught me off guard with that one. So what do you think. Should I give him a chance"

"Honestly"

"I asked didn't I?"

"Something about him doesn't sit right with me"

"Oh God"

"What"

"You're doing that detective thing again"

"I'm not"

"Yeah you are Max"

"Okay maybe I am. Check this out I looked into Carter and guess what"

"What"

"The guy is loaded"

"Oh yeah I can see how that can be mysterious" joked Dana as she and Max started to walk down the steps of Hamilton University.

"No the Mystery is where he got the money" said Max.

"His parents probably. Just like me"

"No Dana. His parents don't own a hotel company. Do you know what they do. His mom's a drug addict and his Dad is on death row"

"Look Max I didn't ask for you to give me the low down on Carter all I asked was do you think he's dating material…I'm pretty sure he has baggage, but what person doesn't."

"…okay…fine…..I admit…..he's cute….but I don't think he's right for you" said Max stopping. Dana stopped too and turned to Max and looked at her.

"So you don't think he's **right** for me….and may I ask who is right for me"

"…" Max didn't say anything she only looked at Dana with a knowing look.

"No. He had his shot. He blew it"

"Come on Dana cut him some slack. He's a good guy"

"With an Attitude problem and a cheating problem" said Dana angrily

"Okay I'll give you the attitude problem, but the cheating thing; I think you need to let him explain"

"I'll pass. Now Max, please drop it"

"Alright, I'll drop it, but going back to Carter…..no I don't think you should date him…..just too many variables"

"Thank you"

"So what are you gonna do"

"I'll have one drink with him and then I'll let him down easy" Dana replied as they resumed walking.

"Do you want me to drop by as an exit strategy?"

"Yeah, I'll call you before I get there okay"

"Schway…I'll see you later Dana, I gotta get to advanced Chemistry"

"See you later Max" said Dana watching as Max turn and walked away.

* * *

**McGinnis Apartment: 3:00pm **

Mary McGinnis walked into her apartment and the first thing she noticed was Terry sprawled out on the couch asleep. She looked at her watch and frowned her face; she walked towards her son and shook him until he woke up.

"Huh…." Went Terry sleepily

"Terry weren't you supposed to be registering for school today and going to all of your class"

"Shit…that was today….I forgot" he said while rubbing his eyes

"Language Terry…and yes that was today. Mr. Wayne was kind enough to pay for your education, try not to waste his money"

"Okay, Okay….I'll do it first thing tomorrow. I'll even get Max to help me"

"Fine. Now what do you want for dinner"

**RING! RING! **went Terry's cell phone. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He looked at the number and then opened the phone.

"Yeah"

"McGinnis get over here, now. Time to Train" came Bruce's voice.

"On my way" said Terry closing the phone, "Hey Mom that was Mr. Wayne. I gotta go don't wait up. I'll get something on the way in" he called out while grabbing his jacket

"What"

"See ya later Mom" said Terry leaving the apartment.

"Be careful Son" she said just as the door closed.

* * *

**8:00pm: Mike's Bar**

"Hey Max, this is Dana. Yeah…I'm going in now, be here in about 15. Bye" said Dana closing her phone. She let out a sigh and then looked up at the neon sign that said Mike's Bar. As she looked at the sign she couldn't help but remember the first time she came to the bar.

* * *

**Flashback: 2 ½ years ago**

"_Mike's Bar" _

"_Trust me Dana you're gonna love this place" said Terry _

"_I don't know Terry, I've…I've never been to a bar before, and don't you need an ID to even get in" she asked _

"_Not with me you don't. Come on and live a little, we'll make this a night you won't forget….or maybe you will" joked Terry as he grabbed her hand and took her inside_

_

* * *

_

**Present**

As Dana remembered the memory she couldn't help but smile a small smile, she had a really good time with Terry that night and that was the night that they shared their first kiss.

"I hope that smile is for me" came a voice from behind her. Dana was broken from her reminiscing by the voice. She turned and saw Carter standing behind her, so close that she was surprised she didn't hear him.

"CARTER!" she said in shock while take a step back "I…Don't sneak up on me like that"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it….shall we go in" he asked.

"Sure" she replied passing him and going inside the Bar.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

Dana and Carter were at their table when the waitress brought them their drinks and food. Carter looked up at the waitress and reached into his pocket and pulled out a green credit card.

"For you sweetheart" he said. The waitress took the care and her eyes widen

"200 credit tip…t-thank you"

"Think nothing of it" he replied. Dana watched the waitress rushing back over to the bar and show her friends the tip Carter had just given her, she then turned back to Carter and smirked.

"Were you trying to impress me just then"

"Maybe….depends on if it worked or not"

"Can I ask you a personal question"

"Well we are on a date…..so ask away"

"A-are you rich" she asked looking him in his eyes. Carter leaned up slightly and then his smiled widened

"Would it matter if I was"

"No. I'm just curious"

"I have some money….my Aunt died…she left me some money"

"Oh I'm sorry" she replied quickly mentally smacking herself for buying into another one of Max's rants "I hope I didn't open any old wounds or something like that"

"No you didn't and plus I said you could ask your question, but now since I answered your question Can you answer mine"

"….okay"

"Who is Terry McGinnis"

After hearing his question Dana's eyes darted towards the entrance of the Bar, trying to mental will Max walk through the door, but then she glanced down at her watch and saw that it was only 8:08 and Max wouldn't show up until 8:15

'_Damn it'_ she thought to herself '_No I asked about his money…..so I guess he deserves an answer…..thank you Max'_

"My old boyfriend"

"Must've left some impression on you" he said taking a sip of his drink

"What makes you say that?"

"Well considering your whole body went rigid at the mention of his name…..tells me a lot"

"You don't miss anything do you"

"Unfortunately I don't…so he was the reason you ran away"

"…..yeah…he was….seeing him, sparked some old feeling that I thought I had buried"

"That's not a good idea"

"What"

"Burying your emotions" he said, but when he said it his voice lowered slightly "Burying your emotions Dana is never a good idea, because no matter how deep you bury something, somehow someway they always find their way back to the surface and when they do they're 10 times stronger than when you buried them"

"The voice of experience" she replied taking a sip of her drink, and looking at Carter in a new light.

"I might tell you on Date number two" he said smile

"What make you think their will be a date number two" she countered with her own smile

"A gut feeling"

* * *

**Not too far away from the Mike's Bar**

Max Gibson was riding her motorcycle towards the bar where her best friend Dana Tan was on a date with a guy tad bit too mysterious for her liking.

'_There's just something off about that guy…..I cant' put my finger on it_' she thought to herself.

While she riding she came to a stop as the traffic light turned red. Glancing to her left she saw an elderly lady coming towards her.

"Excuse me child….can you spare some change"

"I'm sorry I don't have any to spare"

"Well that's too bad for you dear" said the old lady quickly, before she jumped in the air and spun and kicked Max in the face knocking her off the bike. Max landed on the ground and looked up at the old lady. Suddenly a figure gracefully leaped over the old lady and tried to bring their foot down on Max, but she rolled out of the way. The old lady quickly took off her disguise and then walked to where the person that jumped over her was standing. Max looked at the both of them with wide eyes. Her attackers were jokerz and they twins. They both stood at about 5'10, orange hair, with a white hat on their head. They had on chalk white face paint and red lip stick. They were wearing a red cut off shirt and white ripped shorts that showed off their lithe slim builds, and they had on red boots. They were Deidre and Delia Dennis; the Dee Dee sisters.

"She moved Dee Dee"

"I know Dee Dee"

"What ever shall we do"

"You know what they say Dee Dee if at first you don't succeed use a bigger gun"

The Dee Dee twin on the left pulled out a gun and aimed at Max. Max frozen in fear could only stare at the gun. Delia pulled the trigger and out popped a flag that said: **Bang **on it.

"You should see the look on your face" the twins said at the same time, laughing the whole time. Max scrambled to her feet and took off down the street trying to get away from them.

"She's on the move" they said unison

Max ran as fast as she could down the street.

'_Shit….what are the jokerz doing on this side of town'_ she thought frantically looking behind her. She saw that the twins were cart wheeling after her. Max was so busy looking at the people that were chasing her she didn't look to see where she was going and she ran straight into a fat guy. He was about 5'9 and he was wearing a skin tight pink outfit that showed he was overweight. He had on a white mask that had they eyes cut out showing his green eyes and a red smile drawn on the mouth

"Watch where you're going doll" he growled out before backhanding Max hard in the face. Max stumbled back from the blow and then looked at him again. She immediately ran to the left and trying to get away from him and the approaching Dee Dee twins.

**AWWOOOOO** came a howl right before a wolf/human hybrid creature pounced on Max's back knocking her down to the ground and holding her there.

"Good boy Woof" came a voice. Max glanced up and saw someone walking up to her. He was 5'10, wearing a black witch hat with long blond hair come out. He looked like a Halloween scarecrow, except he had a red smile drawn on his lips just like the rest of the Jokerz.

"Aww just when we were having fun, Ghoul goes and ruins it" said The Dee Dee twins as they arrived on the scene followed by the fat guy in pink.

"Enough Fun Dee Dee, let's just do what Terminal said and let's get out of here" said Chucko, the fat guy in pink. Chucko pushed passed the Dee Dee sisters and went towards Woof.  
"Shoo Shoo….get off of her" said Chucko. Woof gave a growl before he broke out into a fit of giggles and getting off of Max's back. Chucko roughly grabbed Max by the jacket she was wearing and flipped her over. Max quickly brought her knee up and kneed Chucko in the groin.

"SOMEONE HELP ME! HELP!" she shouted at the top of her lungs while trying to scramble away, only for ghoul to step forward and kick her in the face.

"Now that wasn't nice" he said picking her up despite the fact that she was dazed. He shoved her towards the Dee Dee twins. Deidre stepped in and kicked Max in the stomach and then kneed her in the face. Delia cart wheeled and then swept Max off of her feet. Delia then straddled Max's waist and then began to punch her over and over again.

"Move" groaned out Chucko as he stood up. Delia stopped in the middle of her punch and then turned to Chucko

"As you wish lard butt" she giggled flipping off of Max. Chucko pulled out his knife and started towards the beaten Max. Max cracked open her swollen eye and saw him coming closer with the knife.

Just as Chucko got close to Max something flew in into view and imbedded itself into his hand causing him to drop the knife in pain.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Chucko roared out, holding up his hand so the rest of the gang could see. In his hand was a metal throwing star. The jokerz all turned to the right to see who threw it and suddenly they all were struck with a small tendril of fear. There standing a few feet away, was a tall figure, about 6'2 or 6'3, he was wearing a form fitting black outfit that showed off his lean yet powerful build, around his waist was a grey belt that had several pouches on it. He also had on metal looking gloves that had sharp talons at the end. The stranger was also wearing a cloak that shrouded his face in darkness.

"WOOF SICK EM!'" Ghoul shouted out. Woof growled and then charged at the shrouded figure. Woof jumped at him, but the figure stood calm and waited until the creature got close and then he struck. A foot shot out and hit woof in the face hard, sending him flying back towards the rest of the Jokerz.

"Holy shit" said Chucko "Dee Dee go get him"

"Fuck that Fat boy…you go get him" they replied at the same time.

"LEAVE!" the Figure half growled/ half yelled.

"Next time there will be more of us…watch yourself" said Ghoul threateningly as he turned and ran away with Chucko, both Dee Dee sisters and Woof following behind. The cloaked figure slowly walked to Max who was on the ground. He bent down to look her over, but as he did that, she started to struggle and try to get away from him.

"Be calm..….you're safe I promise" the figure said softly. Max was breathing heavily in fear, but the way the figure spoke, seemed to calm her down.

"P-P-Please….h-help me" she groaned out

The cloaked figure nodded his head and gently picked her up and disappeared with her into the night.

* * *

**Mike's Bar: 9:30**

"Hahahah….that is a terrible Joke" laughed Dana

"I know I told you it was terrible" replied Carter laughing as well. Dana while she was laughing glanced at the entrance of the Bar again.

"Hey can I ask you another question Dana"

"Yeah what is it"

"Why do you keep looking at the door…are you expecting someone"

"Uh…..no…..no I'm not" she lied

"Let me guess…..your exit strategy, You told one of your friends about our date and she was supposed to accidentally run into you here" said Carter with a smile.

"….wow…..how did you know?"

"Let's just say you're not the first girl to pull that on me…..I've learned to look for the signs"

"You're not mad are you"

"No…the question is are you mad…..I think she left you here with me…"

"You know Carter I…..I was skeptical in going on a date with you. I mean you are kinda"

"Weird. Yeah I know, but I like being weird. Being normal is overrated"

"Well I see your self-esteem level is pretty high"

"It helps when I'm sitting with a beautiful girl"

"You know I'm kinda glad Max didn't show…..I'm enjoying myself" said Dana

Carter gave her a wide sly grin

"You know… I'm glad she didn't show too"

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"_NO I don't think he's Dating material" said Max to Dana as they were walking. Unknown to both Dana and Max their conversation was being heard by Carter, who had decided to follow Dana after she walked away. As they were talking about him, Carter was balling his fist up in anger, and most of it was directed at Max and the way she was telling Dana not to date him. Max and Dana soon split off and went their separate ways but Carter stayed hidden in his spot, watching Dana, watching her every move. Dana began to walk away and towards her next class, when Carter moved away from his hiding spot and then pulled out his phone. He dialed a set of numbers and waited. _

"_WHAT!" shouted a voice on the other line. _

"_It's me" _

"_OH….I'm sorry….I-I" _

"_Shut up…..I have a job for you…..meet me at the spot and I'll tell you more" _

"_As you wish…..Terminal" _

_Carter hung up the phone and a small smile formed on his face. _

_

* * *

_

**Next Day: Gotham Height Hospital**

Terry McGinnis burst through the doors and ran to the front desk.

"Hi How ma….." she started

"Maxine Gibson what room is she in"

"Are You

"Yes I'm family now tell me what room is she in" Terry shouted at the nurse.

"She's in room 212"

As soon as he heard the room number Terry took off down the hall to the elevator.

* * *

Terry stepped off the elevator on he immediately saw Dana sitting in one of the chair. Dana looked up and saw Terry coming her way, she stood up and walked towards him.

"Hey, thanks for calling"

"How could I not"

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me ever again"

"It's not about us right now it's about Max"

"How is she"

"She got beat up pretty bad"

"Who did it" asked Terry

"We don't know she hasn't woken up yet….her Dad is there now. I was waiting for you before I went in"

"Thanks" replied Terry as he headed for the Door.

* * *

**Inside the Room**

Terry and Dana walked into the room and the first thing they saw was Max's father asleep in the chair next to Max's bed. Max's father was about 5'8 with black hair that was graying around the sides. He had dark skin and he looked to be in his mid 40s. He had an average build, and was wearing a badge button down shirt and black pants.

"Mr. Gibson" said Dana shaking him slightly. He instantly woke up

"Dana" he said groggily rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "Oh you got my call"

"Yeah I did"

"Hey Mr. Gibson"

"Terry…when did you get out of Juvenile" asked Mr. Gibson

"Couple of weeks ago…how's our girl doing"

Mr. Gibson let out sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"They did a number on her but nothing permanent, a few bumps, and bruises"

"A-And you forgot wounded pride" came Max's voice. They turned to her waking up and rushed to her bed.

"Max, sweetheart, Oh My God…I was so worried I…." started

"I'm alright Dad…."

"No you're not if you were alright you wouldn't be in the hospital"

**Knock! KNOCK! **

"Come in" said Mr. Gibson.

The door opened and in walked an attractive woman with brown hair, she had blue eyes and slightly tan skin. She was about 5'8 and was wearing a brown coat, a white shirt, black pants, and black shoes, also she looked to be in her mid to late thirties.

"Hello, My name is Detective Montoya Bullock, I'm here to get a statement from Ms. Gibson"

"Call me Max" she replied

"Okay Max…..Can you tell me what happened"

"I was on my way to Mike's bar when I got jumped by 5 jokerz"

"Can you tell me what they looked like"

"Yeah….two of them were twins and called each other….."

"Dee Dee" Detective Bullock interrupted taking out a recorder.

"Yeah….another one was a fat guy in pink, a human woof or something, and a guy that looked like a scarecrow"

"….thank you for your time Ms. Gibson and rest assured the NGCPD will do our best to catch these jokerz" replied Detective Bullock putting her recorder away.

"Thank you Detective Bullock" said Mr. Gibson.

Detective Bullock nodded her head and turned and left the room.

* * *

**Outside the room**

"DETECTIVE BULLOCK!" shouted Terry from down the hall. Detective Bullock turned around and saw Terry running towards her.

"What is it kid I gotta a lot of work to do"

"You know who did this to Max"

"Yeah the Jokerz"

"These weren't ordinary Jokerz though…if these were ordinary Jokerz you wouldn't know them by name and you wouldn't left so quickly"

"Mighty fine detective skills there kid"

"You're avoiding my question"

"…No these weren't ordinary Jokerz…They were Victor Tutelio's hit squad"

"The what"

"A special group of Jokerz the NGCPD has been after for some time…..Delia and Deidre Dennis, Woof, Chucko, and Ghoul…..top enforcers of the Jokerz gang and the top recruiters"

"Why do you think they came after Max"

"Don't know….Maybe she turned down their offer to join….or maybe they were out for a little fun I don't know…look kid, the most important thing is that your friend is okay…most of the time when these guys strike there's a path of blood….so be happy they were feeling merciful and let her go with only a few bruises" said Detective Bullock quickly before stepping onto the elevator. Terry watched as the doors closed, with a frown on his face.

'_Jokerz'_ he thought angrily balling up his fist in anger.

* * *

**Later: Batcave**

Bruce was sitting at the Bat computer typing in something, when he turned around and saw Terry walking over wearing the Batman suit, but he didn't have the mask on.

"What are you doing"

"I'm going out"

"No you're not, you're training isn't done yet"

"Screw the training, I'll learn as I go"

"Absolutely not"

"It worked the first time"

"An isolated incident…..one that won't work again especially going up against Jokerz"

"Wait how did…."

"Maxine Gibson…..you're best friend was jumped by jokerz and now you want revenge"

"Yeah I do"

"You're letting your emotions get the best of you"

"Look you don't have friends I wouldn't expect you to understand, Max is the only true friend I got...I've ever had actually and then she gets jumped by some Jokerz that almost kill her…..no I can not and will not let that go unpunished…..you said you wanted me to take on the Knightbreed first…but they can wait…..it's time for the Jokerz to meet the New Batman….it's time that they know this isn't their city anymore…it's Batman's…..so are you gonna help or not" he said putting the mask on. Bruce looked at Terry with a hard stare.

"Start on the eastside of Gotham" replied Bruce turning around in his chair and started typing into the computer suddenly a map of Gotham city popped up, "I'm uploading a recent Map that NGCPD has charted to the Batmobile...….the areas in red are Jokerz hideouts that they are planning to raid soon…..remember McGinnis element of surprise"

"Right….I won't forget" said Batman as he ran towards the batmobile. He jumped in and started up the engine. The bat mobile rose into the air and rocketed out of the Bat Cave and into the Gotham night sky.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey readers, first I wanted to say I know that this chapter took forever for me to get out and there is a reason for that. I had it finished, but then right before I was about to post it….I saw a flaw….and once I changed the flaw it radically altered the whole chapter, so I had to adjust it and I think that this chapter and story for that matter is better for it, but the thing Is I would like to hear your thoughts…..so just leave me a review and tell me if you liked the chapter and then tune in next time for the next installment, so this is Nomad88 saying until next time. **

**Ps: If you haven't checked out my Amazing Spider-man story be sure to head over and read and review…thanks**

**Next Up: Old Ghosts **


	6. Old Ghosts

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these characters. I repeat I DO NOT OWN characters, in fact all credit, and I do mean ALL CREDIT goes to DC…they are the owners. I repeat DC OWNS EVERYTHING. No money is being made off of this story I can assure you, so please find it in your heart not to sue me….thanks. Now on with the story. **

**Hey readers it's me back with a brand new chapter. I'm glad that everyone is enjoying the story so far. I really am, and I can assure you that the craziness has only just begun. Guess what in this chapter it features the return of an old face, but enough of me talking, so I'll say one last thing…Read. Review(FEEDBACK IS GREAT) and most importantly enjoy. **

**

* * *

**

** Chapter 6: Old Ghosts **

**Flashback: Last Night Gotham Harbor**

An old oil tanker ship drifted slowly towards Gotham Harbor. The she was rusted in several places and it looked as if it could sink at any given moment. To anyone that didn't know anything about ships they would say the ship was a piece of junk and it needed to be scrapped in a hurry, but if you asked someone that knew a thing or two about ships, they would say it was ship full of character and it had many stories to tell.

**CLANG! **Went the oil tanker as it finally docked with the harbor. From the bridge of the oil tanker a door open a man stepped out. The man was of Asian decent. He was about 5'7 with a bald head, and a high tan complexion. He had a lean to medium build and he was wearing a black outfit with red stripes going down the arms and legs. The man's name was simply Yinn. Yinn walked out of the bridge room and towards the front of the oil tanker. He put his hands behind his back and he looked at the futuristic Gotham City. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breathe, and he opened his eyes, when he felt a presence beside him

"Sir, we have arrived"

"Thank you Yinn….I can see that" came the voice from beside him. Yinn turned to the man that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and looked at him closely. The mysterious man was tall about 6'2 or 6'3 and he towered over Yinn. He was wearing a dark gray cloak that shrouded his face in darkness. The man had a lean yet powerful build, he had on a black body suit, and a belt around his waist that had several pouches on it. He had on metal gloves that had sharp talons on the finger nails.

"Is something troubling you sir….you seem….agitated" said Yinn turning his gaze back to Gotham City, and letting a small smile appear on his face.

"….Nothing is troubling me Yinn"

After hearing the man's response Yinn began to laugh softly.

"And what's so funny"

"Seeing you in one of those rare instances of being out of pocket with your emotions"

"….hilarious" the man responded dryly.

"You don't know whether to feel happy, sad, or angry" replied Yinn

"I feel a mixture of all of those…this place…this place is unsettling"

"It is your home sir…our home has a way of bringing up Old Ghosts, whether they good or bad, but the question you have to ask yourself though is…are you ready to face them"

"Is anyone ever ready to face their past" asked the man turning to Yinn.

"That….Master Wayne…depends entirely upon the person" he replied. They both turned back to the city.

"Yinn….you know the drill find us a place"

"Yes Master Wayne I know the drill…." Yinn replied before turning back to his companion only to see that he was gone.

* * *

**Few Hours later**

The grey cloaked man stood perched on the top of an old building hidden in the shadows. He had just spent the last few hours getting acquainted with his old home again. The man took a deep breathe as he hugged himself closer to the shadows.

"Gotham…you've changed quite a bit" he said quietly.

"SOMEONE HELP ME! HELP!" echoed a voice through the night. The cloaked man turned his head and made his way to the edge of the building he was on. He peered over the edge and saw a Pink haired girl surrounded by five jokerz.

"You've changed Gotham…but you haven't changed much" he said jumping over the edge.

* * *

**Present: 1:00 am**

"Master Wayne time for you to get up" said Yinn as he entered the large bedroom. Damian Wayne's eyes snapped open, when he heard Yinn's voice. He slowly sat up in the bed and rubbed his tired eyes. He then swung his legs over the bed and stood up. He made his way to the lavish bathroom and went to the facet. He turned it on and splashed some cold water over his face. He then looked up and at his reflection in the mirror and heaved a sigh. Damian Wayne had aged gracefully. He looked to be in his mid to late 40s, his jet black hair was still black, but there were signs of his hair starting to gray a little on the sides, but that didn't take away from his overall handsome appearance. His body was covered in a few scars, souvenirs he would say from his long career in the crime fighting business. He straightened up and turned off the water from the faucet.

"Sir, I have laid out your evening attire" came Yinn's voice walking into the bathroom.

"Thank you Yinn"

"You're welcome sir….and if I may would you like to me to accompany you in tonight's outing…I'm curious to see if the Streets of Gotham are how you described them, plus it's been a few days since we've fought anyone"

"No…..no that won't be necessary tonight Yinn…..I'm still doing some recon…but if my hunch was correct….if Kobra is here in Gotham I'm pretty sure we're gonna see some action soon enough"

"As you wish sir" replied Yinn leaving the bathroom. Damian took a deep breathe and then looked at himself in the mirror again. He then turned and left the bathroom. The first thing he noticed as he exited the bathroom was his costume laying on the large bed waiting for him. He went over to it and began to get dressed.

* * *

**Living Room**

Yinn was sitting on his knees in the middle of the living room with his eyes closed, in concentration. Immediately he opened them when he felt someone standing behind him.

"Do be careful Master Wayne"

"I'm always careful Yinn"

"Sure you are sir, that's why you have such a small collection of scars" Yinn replied sarcastically.

Damian ignored Yinn's comment and went towards the large window that overlooked Neo-Gotham. He pressed a button on the wall and the widow began to slide open. He pulled the hood on his cloak over his head and put a foot on the edge. He was about to jump out when something caught his eye. High above the city he saw a sleek black flying vehicle speeding quickly through the air. Damian reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a set of silver goggles, he pressed the small button the right side of the goggles and then he put them on. The lens in the goggles turned green.

"Magnify, times 3" he said. The goggles zoomed in on the speeding object and Damian instantly recognized the vehicle, "Well…it seems the rumors are true…which means you've went back on your word Father…so, no one else will be Batman….hmph…..you're right about that" he continued as the batmobile flew out of view. He reached up and pressed the left side of the goggles and the lens changed to red. The red lens showed a blazing hot heat trail, left by the batmobile. Damian then smirked to himself and jumped out of the window and began to follow.

* * *

**Batmobile**

"McGinnis slow down…calm yourself, don't let your emotions get the best of you"

Batman pulled back a little on the throttle and let the Batmobile slow down some.

"I'm just so pissed off"

"Put your emotions to the side and clear your mind…you're going into battle you need to focus on the task at hand" Bruce scolded.

"Thank you Yoda….jeez" Batman replied, "So…how did the police get this map of the Jokerz hideouts…..and why the hell haven't they done anything about them"

"Hold on….I'm hacking into the police files" Bruce said.

"…..well" he asked after a few moments.

"The police had an informant by the name of Gill. He told them where most of the Jokerz hideout were located and the layouts of the area and the insides. The reason McGinnis that they haven't raided the hideouts is because each area, each hideout is wired with remote explosives. Any potential sign of police, and…

"Boom" Batman finished, "Damn….these jokerz are insane"

"These are Jokerz we're talking about insanity is their bread and butter"

"Yeah…but come one not all of them are insane enough blow themselves up"

"I have a hunch"

"What"

"I believe that most of the low level jokerz, the recruits, they don't know about the explosives…..only the high level enforces….namely Victor Tuelio's crew. Gill was a top enforcer…Victor's third in command right after someone named Terminal"

"Well then can't this Gill guy disarm the explosives"

"Haven't you noticed I've been speaking in the past tense…Gill is dead….the police thought that exact same idea, but the plan was rendered moot when his head turned up in a box at the NGPD, also inside the box was a dead rat"

"How subtle of them"

"After that the police just began to monitor them until they could come up with another idea"

"Now that Batman's back, they won't have to"

"Don't get cocky"

"Whatever…..what's the first stop"

"Durlan's Toy Factory….went out of business 9 years ago, it's been abandoned ever since and I've did a city wide layout. The toy factory is the closet to where your friend was assaulted"

Batman gave the throttle another push and the Batmobile flew faster heading for the factory.

* * *

**Durlan's Toy Factory**

The factory was fairly large. It was gray on the outside and had cracked and a broken windows. Most people didn't come anywhere near the factory because they knew that it was the Jokerz territory. Their tags littered the area, plus there were a few jokerz on the outside that looked mean and were carrying weapons. The inside of the factory was bare and open so the rest of the jokerz gang didn't have any problems while dancing and shouting to the loud music the blared through the factory. The open area was filled with Jokerz, and each had on the white face paint and red lipstick. One joker in particular was different form the rest. He wore a loose straightjacket type of shirt, with black pants. He had long black hair tied into a ponytail and he had on the white face paint but instead of the red lipstick he had on black and the black paint went across his mouth and around his eyes. He looked more like a zombie than a joker. He pushed his way through the dancing Jokerz and went towards the staircase in the back of the toy factory. Going up the stairs and went to the door that led into the back office, where he heard arguing through the busted window.

* * *

**Back Office**

"GODDAMN COWARDS" shouted Ghoul angrily slamming his hand against the wall.

"Hey asshole you were running too" Delia replied quickly getting into his face.

"That's true Ghoul"

"SHUT UP CHUCKO!" snapped Ghoul

"If you ask me I say you guys were stupid going out there in the first place" came the voice of Bonk. Bonk was a bald headed and muscular looking Joker. He had on a tight ripped red sweater, and ripped black overalls. He had on the same white face paint and red lipstick like every other joker. Bonk was reclining on the couch in the office.

"Ya know something Bonk we could've used you last night…maybe if you were there we could've took that guy"

"But I wasn't"

"And why weren't you Bonk…I gave you an order" came a voice. They turned and saw someone come through the door and into the office, and they each swallowed nervously.

"Terminal" said Bonk in surprise, but he quickly suppressed his shock and put on his fake bravado again "Terminal…..shouldn't you been studying for school"

"I asked you a question Bonk, why didn't you do what I asked" Terminal repeated walking into the trashed office and towards Bonk. Bonk swallowed the lump in his throat and then gathered his courage again. He stood up and looked Terminal in his eyes.

"I wasn't there because, I think…ack!' he gasped in shock because Terminal had hit him in the throat causing him to gag and double over. Terminal then grabbed him by the head and rammed him into the desk Deidre and Delia were sitting on.

"WHOA!" they shouted in union as Bonk crashed into the desk and knocked it over. Terminal then stalked over to him and kneeled down grabbing his sweater and pulling him close.

"Listen to me and Listen close Bonk. I've been tolerant of a lot of things. I've been taking a lot of Bullshit from you and several other people, but no more. I'm in charge…and if you don't do what I say when I say it then" he started before pulling out a knife and holding close to Bonk's eye, "I'll cut your fucking eyes out and feed them to Woof…GOT ME!"

"Y-Y-Yeah….I-I got you….."

"Good" Terminal replied dropping him. He stood up and faced the other Jokerz, "This guy….what did he look like"

"H-He had on a gray cloak" Delia and Deidre said

"He was tall about 6'3 or so…..had on a black body suit" said Ghoul

"This guy took out Woof like it was nothing…..we think it might be Batman"

"It ain't Batman" replied Terminal quickly

"How can you be sure…..its all over the news…the rumors…" started Ghoul

"The rumors are True Batman is back…..but the guy you ran into wasn't Batman" said Terminal with a smirk

"What makes you say that" asked Fatso

"Batman is a man in a black bodysuit…but he horns at the top of his head…..and a blood red bat symbol in the middle of his chest" stated Terminal

"Wow….have you run into him or something"

"No…..turn around…look at the cameras" Terminal replied.

Ghoul, Chucko, Deidre, Delia, Woof, and Bonk, who was standing up rubbing his throat, each looked at the TV screen on the wall. The TV Screen had several camera feeds displayed on it, and on one screen Batman had landed on the roof of the toy factory.

"Dee Dee"

"Yes Dee Dee"

"We have an intruder"

"Shall we go greet him"

"NO" said Terminal interrupting them, "I've got a better idea" he said with a smirk. He walked to the overturned desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out two items. Silly putty and a grenade that had a red smile painted on it.

"He's heading this way…..it's time we introduce Batman to the new and improved Jokerz" said Terminal mashing up the silly putty and sticking it to the grenade. He pulled out the pin and tossed the Grenade in the air, where it stuck to the roof.

"Fire in the hole" he said, backing away, with the rest of the Jokerz gang following.

* * *

**1 minute ago**

"Alright I'm here...exiting batmobile…..now" said Batman pulling the lever and falling out of the bottom of the cloaked Batmobile. He flew down towards the roof of the toy factory.

"McGinnis I said to wait…survey the area first" growled Bruce.

"I did there was no one on the roof" he replied landing on roof and going towards a large skylight. He peered through the skylight and saw all of the jokerz dancing, drinking, and shouting.

"Did you check for any type of video feed"

"I didn't see any cameras"

"Just because they aren't out in the open doesn't mean they're not there…if you would've waited a Goddamn minute I would've told you how to check….you're being reckless"

"These are Jokerz old man I doubt they have security….this is their neighborhood right" Batman replied looking up and seeing another skylight towards the end of the large toy factory building. He quickly made his way over, and just when he got close a large boom could be heard.

**BOOOOOM!**

The part of the roof Batman was standing on caved in and he fell through and into the office.

* * *

**Batcave**

**KRZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!** Went the video and audio link in the batman mask as it was instantly cut.

"McGINNIS!" shouted Bruce in shock, "DAMN IT" he growled to himself as he furiously started typing into the computer.

* * *

All of the dancing and the music stopped throughout the Toy factory as the Jokerz heard the explosion. They all turned to the direction of the office to see dust and smoke leaking through the windows.

* * *

**In the Office**

'_**KRZZZ Mc- Ginnis…..KRZZZZ'**_

"Ugh….." groaned Batman as he pushed some of the debris off of him.

'_**KRZZZZZZZZZ**_'

"Oh Dee Dee…he is real"

"I know Dee Dee, and he's cute"

Batman looked up at the sound of voices and he saw Terminal and both Dee Dee sisters staring at him. He quickly tried to get to his feet, but just as stood up he felt something hit him in the back, making him fall down to the ground again. He then felt someone grab him by the back of his neck and then lift him in the air. Bonk cocked back his fist and was about to punch him, but Terminal interrupted him.

"Stop"

"Why"

"Bonk…..what did I say"

"Fine"

Terminal slowly walked towards Batman and looked him over, with curious eyes. He then grabbed one of the horns and tilted Batman's head up.

"Are you the real Batman…..or just some trick that the Knightbreed is trying to cook up to scare us"

"…."

"ANSWER ME!"

"Okay" Batman replied. He brought his foot back and kicked Terminal as hard as he could in the groin.

"ARGH!" he shouted feeling the kick. Terminal doubled over in pain and fell to the ground. Batman then flicked his wrist and produced a batarang. He used the sharp end to stab Bonk's hand making him drop him in the process. Batman landed on his feet and quickly turn and kicked Bonk in the chest sending him to the ground.

"SICK EM WOOF!" shouted Chucko. Woof howled and charged. Batman hearing the howl turned just in time to see Woof lunging at him. Woof crashed into him and both went barreling through the window and to the ground floor where the rest of the Jokerz were located.

"Terminal are you okay"

"AFTER HIM YOU IDIOTS!" shouted Terminal still in pain. Ghoul, Chucko, the Dee Dee twins, and the recovering Bonk rushed out of the office and went in search of where Batman and Woof had landed.

* * *

Batman had landed on his back and Woof was on top of him trying to bite his neck, but he brought his forearm up and was blocking Woof.

"GET OFF!" he shouted flipping Woof off of him. He quickly rolled to his feet, but his eyes widen in shock when he saw all of the Jokerz that were looking at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS WAIT FOR GET HIM!" yelled Ghoul as he was running down the stairs.

"YOU HEARD HIM GET HIM!" shouted out a Joker. The Jokerz all started yelling and hooting and charged at Batman.

"Time to go" he said to himself. He curled his feet and spread his wings. Batman took to the air. Deidre seeing Batman attempt to fly, hopped on the rail of the stairs and jumped. She landed on his back and wrapped her arm around his throat.

"You wouldn't be trying to leave now would you cutie" she giggled tightening her grip on his throat

"ACK!" went Batman feeling her grip. He took a dip and flew low, until he was flying inches from the ground. He turned and rammed her into a group of Jokerz, making her lose her grip on him.

"OOMPH" grunted Deidre. Batman feeling the sudden loss of weight was thrown off coarse slightly as he tried to pull up and he went crashing into the wall.

"ARGH!" he yelled, but he didn't have time to dwell on the pain. As he landed five Jokerz charged at him. He swiftly got to his feet and put up his guard. He threw a punch and nailed the first Jokerz in the mouth. The second Joker tried to kick him, but Batman grabbed the foot and pulled him into the path of the last two charging Jokerz. They halted for a second, but that was all Batman needed to spin and kick both of them in the face knocking them down. Batman spread his arms and curled his feet again trying to fly away from the corner. As he rose in the air he didn't notice a joker down below that was aiming a bazooka at him.

"Boom" said the joker pulling the trigger. A net shot out from the bazooka and wrapped around Batman sending him crashing roughly to the ground, "I GOT EM!"

Batman fighting through the pain started struggling against the net. As he was struggling he saw a group of Jokerz hurrying towards him and they were carrying bats, knives, and brass knuckles.

'_Not good'_ he thought struggling even harder

**CRASH!** Everyone in the toy factory looked up to see a figure in a gray cloak burst through the skylight and land in front of Batman.

'_Now what'_ thought Batman looking a Gray cloaked figure. The charging Jokerz stopped and looked at the imposing figure.

"GET EM!" Ghoul shouted charging forward "I TOLD YOU THERE WOULD BE MORE OF US!"

The jokerz seeing Ghoul charge followed behind him. The figure calmly spread his cloak to reveal several razor sharp throwing stars in his hands. HE threw all of them and they hit several of the oncoming Jokerz in the legs and in the arms. Ghoul reached the figure and tried to stab him. The figure expertly dodged the strike and delivered a powerful bone shaking blow to Ghoul's face lifting off of his feet and flying into several Jokerz. Another Joker came charging in and tried to hit him with a bat. The figure grabbed the bat and kicked the joker in the chest. He dropped the bat and turned a delivered a spin kick to another joker. He delivered a two punch combo to another Joker and he grabbed the last one by the throat and held him the air. He lifted him over his head and tossed him into another group of Jokerz sending them to the floor. Batman who was watching the fight saw a Joker with a bazooka and he was aiming it at the mystery figure. Batman started struggling with the net trying to get free. He turned and used the spikes on his forearm to cut the net and freed himself. Batman flicked his wrist and a Batarang popped out. He aimed and threw the batarang knocking the bazooka off course and making the net that was intended for the figure, fire out and trapped a big group of Jokerz.

The gray cloaked figure turned to Batman and looked at him.

"STOP!"

The Jokerz hearing their leader shout immediately stopped and turned to him.

Batman and the cloaked figure turned to the stairs and saw Terminal standing there with an angry look on his face.

"Who the hell are you" he growled looking at the Figure.

"Who the hell are you" he repeated

"My Name is Terminal"

"Call me the Gray Ghost"

Terminal walked down the stairs and towards the two.

"Well Gray Ghost…what are you doing here….this is Joker territory"

"HA!" Gray Ghost laughed "You are no Jokers…..more like thugs in bad makeup"

"Really" replied Terminal smirking. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a medium sized white patch, "I look like a thug in make up huh" Terminal repeated as he stuck the patch to his neck.

"ACK!" shouted out Terminal as he began to transform. He looked up at Batman and the Gray Ghost and smiled a sick smile as h muscles began to grow and double then triple in size ripping his clothes in the process. His tan skin turned into a reddish hue and he grew from his 5'11 height to about 6'5. He now stood towering over his enemies.

"Holy shit" whispered Batman

"HOW DO I LOOK NOW!" he half shouted/half growled. Terminal started stomping towards the two. The Gray Ghost rolled to the side out of the way and as he rolled no one noticed him reach into one of his pouches and grab three small red balls and toss them on the ground. Batman snapping out of his stupor curled his feet and tried to fly away, but Terminal saw him and jumped. He cocked his fist back punched Batman as hard as he could knocking the wind out of him as he went spiraling to the ground.

"ARGH!" shouted Batman

'_**KRZZZZ McGINNIS KRZZZZZZ'**_

"Ugh' groaned Batman.

"HAHAHAHAHA" laughed Terminal turning to the Gray Ghost. Terminal spit on the ground and went charging at him. The Gray Ghost narrowed his eyes and produced a silver hand held device, and he pushed the button, the red balls on the ground glowed before they blew up.

**BOOOM!'** went the small explosion. The ground the massive Terminal was charging on crumbled and he went falling through taking several groups of Jokerz with him. The Gray Ghost ran and flipped over the giant hole and ran towards the downed Batman. He quickly grabbed him and lifted him up. He reached into one of his pouches and took out eight small black balls. He threw them on the ground and a thick black smoke emerged covering the whole area. The Gray Ghost pulled out a grappling hook and aimed it at the skylight. He pressed a button and a thin strong wire shot out and grabbed ahold of the ledge of the skylight. The Gray Ghost tugged on the hook and it started to retract pulling them towards the skylight.

* * *

Terminal growled and threw the debris off of him. He stood up, but then his leg collapsed in pain.

"ARGH!" he started to yell as his body was racked with shudders. He could feel his muscles turning back to normal.

"TERMINAL" shouted Chucko running towards him

"NO…..G-o….after…..Bat…man" stuttered Terminal in pain, before collapsing.

* * *

The Gray Ghost pulled himself and Batman over the ledge. He then pulled out some goggles and pressed the left side making the lens turn red. He then searched the sky.

"There it is" he said. Next from one of his pouches he pulled out another device, that looked like a miniature computer. He looked up and began to furiously type into the small computer. The mini-computer gave a beep. The batmobile de-cloaked and flew to where they were. The batmobile landed in front of them and the top slid opened. The Gray Ghost put Batman inside, but before he could let go, Batman grabbed him.

"Who….who….are you"

"Tell that old Bastard….I'm the Gray Ghost…..he'll know what I'm talking about" he replied throwing Batman's hand off. He typed into the mini-computer again and the top closed. The batmobile then re-cloaked and lifted off the ground and flew away into the night. The Gray Ghost put the mini-computer back into its pouch and he jumped off of the roof and disappeared, without a trace.

* * *

**Later: Batcave **

The Batmobile entered the Bat cave and came to a stop. Bruce was standing where he knew the Batmobile would land and he waited. The top opened and Batman painfully dragged himself out. He fell onto the cave floor and said a few curse words under his breathe. Bruce made his way over to him. He kneeled down and pulled the mask off to revel Terry McGinnis who had a black eye and a busted lip.

"McGinnis"

"P-Please…..stop talking" he groaned out. Bruce quickly took off one of the gloves. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an injection gun. He placed the gun on Terry's wrist and pulled the trigger. A needle shot out and stuck Terry letting the liquid inside drain into his veins.

"W-What the hell is that"

"Something for the pain, you should be feeling it in a minute….it won't take away all of the pain, but it should ease it" he replied. Terry looked up at the ceiling and he let out a sigh of content as he felt some of the pain he was feeling melt away.

"Aww man…. this stuff is kicking in"

"Don't get used to it….this is the first and last time I'm giving this to you"

"What….why"

"Because this is the first time you've ever felt pain like you're feeling now…..the next time I'm going to let you feel it all of it, as a reminder of what happens when you don't listen to me…..now what the hell happened"

"All hell broke loose…what do you think happened"

"Can you be more specific"

"Those clowns knew I was coming they laid a trap for me, and just as I was being overwhelmed some guy showed up and helped me out….but just as we were fighting that guy named Terminal you told me about puts on some patch and grow into some giant red muscle bound freak and beats the shit out of me"

"Some guy showed up and helped you"

"Yeah…..he told me to tell you his name was the Gray Ghost…..said you would know what he was talking about"

"The Gray Ghost" Bruce replied with wide eyes. He then took a deep breathe and began to walk away. Terry attempted to move, but let out a loud groan in pain.

"Don't move….I'll be back with the first aid in a second"

"Who the hell is the Gray Ghost" said Terry to himself as he laid back down.

* * *

**Young Residence: 3:40 am**

Barbara Gordon-Young's eyes snapped open and the first thing she saw was the face of her husband Sam Young. She slowly reached up and touched his face affectionately.

"What was that" she whispered sitting up in her bed. She carefully slipped out of bed without disturbing Sam and grabbed her robe and put it on. She went to her bedroom door and slowly opened it. Barbara slowed her breathing and listened to all of the sounds in her house.

'_There it is again'_ she thought rushing to the sound. She peered around the corner and saw a cloaked figure looking at the pictures of her and Sam that were hanging on the wall. Barbara silently crept up to the figure and was about to strike him, when his voice stopped her.

"You look so happy Barbara" the cloaked figure said making her stop her attack.

"That voice"

The figure turned to her and pulled the cloak from over his face.

"Damian" she said looking him over.

"Barbara…it's been a long time"

"Too Long you Brat" she replied.

Both of them stood there staring at the other

"Is this the part where we hug" asked Damian with a smile

* * *

**Few minutes later**

Barbara and Damian were sitting on her couch and they both had a drink in their hand.

"I hope you like scotch"

"I've acquired a taste for it" Damian replied taking a gulp. After taking a gulp he turned his attention back to the wall and looked at the pictures.

"You look so happy"

"Well love will do that to you"

"Yeah...I know what you mean"

"Do you now…..Damian Wayne knows what Love is….stop the presses"

"Yeah it kinda surprised me too…but I've got plenty of stories to tell you…many…. adventures" he said quietly, swirling the drink in his hands with a far away look in his eyes. Another minute of silence passed between the two before Barbara broke the silence with a question that's been on her mind for the past 22 years.

"Where the hell did you go…...you disappeared without a trace"

"The question isn't where did I go, but rather where didn't I go"

"…I know about Harvey Dent"

"I figured you did…..I did what I thought was right….at least what I thought was right, at a time in my life when I was young and full of rage"

"What about now…..how do you feel about it now"

"I still think I did the right thing but maybe….just maybe, If I could reverse time…I might've done things differently. Knowing what I know now. That killing Dent set my life on an interesting path….but alas…..I can't" he replied taking another gulp of his scotch, "So…..what about you Mrs. Young….what have you been up to"

"Commissioner of NGCPD"

"Follow in Daddy's footsteps"

"Something like that, but more along the lines of crime fighting the right way" she replied with a smile.

"Speaking of which, guess who I ran into tonight"

"Who"

"Batman"

Barbara almost dropped her drink but she caught it before it fell to the ground.

"Are you gonna talk to him or am I" asked Damian

"No…..I'm gonna do it"

"Good because If I go anywhere near that Mansion….I might end up strangling that old man…why haven't you gone to talk to him"

"…..its just…..every time I work up the courage to go over there….the best thing I can do is just sit outside in my car….too many old ghost and old feelings that spring up"

"Dick"

"Not just him...but everyone…..especially Tim"

"I try not to think about Drake….but I did speak to Dick not too long ago"

"How is he"

"He's doing about as well as we are…..still haunted by the past, but trying to move on"

"He's moved on"

"Not as well as you with the whole institution of Marriage, but as well as can be for a 50 something man with one eye and one arm"

"So….now that the small talk is out of the way…why are you here"

"I'm here because of an organization by the name of Kobra…..I've been tracking them for sometime and my investigations have led me back to Gotham….they were supposed to pick up a shipment of some type of gas"

"You're too late ….Derek Powers was in association with them, making some type of nerve gas….but from what we can tell the deal went bad and the gas was destroyed"

"That won't stop Kobra…..they want that gas….for what…..I don't know yet, from what I've gathered it's something along the lines of global in scale, but whatever it is….I can't say, but I'm going to find out" said Damian.

"Barbara" said Sam walking into the living room where she was sitting. Barbara turned around in surprise and looked at him as he entered.

"Who are you talking to" he asked. She turned to look at Damian who had already vanished and left his drink on the table. She looked at the window and saw that it was open.

"No one Sam….I was just having a drink….but I'm coming back to bed now" she said putting her drink on the table and getting up from the couch, she kissed him on the lips and ushered him out of the living room, but before she left she cast a look at the window that was now closed and a smile crept along her face.

* * *

**Durlan's Toy Factory**

"Sit him down over here" said Ghoul as he and Chucko laid Terminal down on the couch in the destroyed back office. He was still breathing hard and his clothes were tattered due to his recent transformation. Terminal was breathing hard but he was wide awake.

"The Power" he said quietly

"What the hell was that" asked Chucko

"T-T-hat Chucko…..was power….raw power…..and my plan on how defeat the Knightbreed" replied Terminal sitting up despite how every bone and muscle in his body was protesting, "I-I have a connection to a new type….of…..drug….it's called Venom and it increase your strength ten fold like you saw….that's how we are gonna defeat the Knightbeed….they have better fighters…but we have numbers and Strength on our side…..give me a phone" said Terminal.

Ghoul walked over to the overturned desk and rummaged around it until he picked up a cell phone. He walked back over to Terminal and gave it to him. Terminal snatched the phone and he dialed a set of numbers. Terminal only heard one ring before someone on the other end picked up.

"…..what is the code" a voice on the other end suddenly said

"Power will set you free"

"Ah…..Terminal….how did the test run go"

"Better than expected, but….the side effects"

"Yes. What did you think was going to happen. Did you think that your body going through such a sudden change would feel like a walk in the park. No. The side effects will fade as time passes and more transformations occur….but the question is are you in or are you out"

"Chappell you can tell Bane…..The Jokerz want in" said Terminal with a smile.

* * *

**End Chapter. Read and Review. Hey folks it's me again with the closing comment I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and enjoyed the action. Hopefully this chapter answered some questions, but at the same time sparked new ones. I hope those questions are enough to have you return for the next installment which will be out soon. Don't forget to review. This is Nomad88 saying until next time…..**

**Ps: Remember to head on over and check out my Amazing Spider-man story and read and review…..thanks…later. **

**Next up: The Knightbreed **


	7. The Knightbreed

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these characters, I REPEAT I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS, in fact ALL CREDIT goes to DC, They are the owners they own everything, NO MONEY is being exchanged I can assure, So PLEASE DO NOT SUE ME. I HAVE NO MONEY…..thanks….now on with the story. **

**Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back with a brand new chapter. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this new and different take on the Batman mythos. My only hope is that you continue to Read. Review (Feedback is Golden) and of course ENJOY…..**

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* * *

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**Chapter 7: The Knightbreed**

**Streets of Neo-Gotham: 3:00 am**

"Report…..how many" asked a figure in a black and purple costume with a dark green cape flowing behind him.

"There are 5 of them. They are currently stuffing the jewels into their bags and they are on the way out of the store"

"Alright let's follow them and head them off. This is the third Jewelry store these guys have hit this week. Tonight they're going down"

* * *

**Jewelry Store**

Inside one of Neo-Gothams most expensive jewelry stores were 5 guys with red masks on their faces. They had broken into the store and started grabbing every single available jewel that they could.

"Yo Chico, how we lookin on time"

"We got 3 minutes before the cops get here" replied Chico as he continued to grab jewel after jewel and stuff them into his red duffel bag.

"Alright guys we got 3 minutes lets wrap this up" yelled the leader, whose name was Fitz. Fitz also had a red duffel bag and he was stuffing jewels into his bag as well.

"LET'S GO!" shouted Fitz as he ran out of the store and to the Convertible that was parked outside of the store. The rest of his crew followed behind him and hopped into the car. Fitz started up the car and sped down the dark street.

* * *

"How much did we get" asked Fitz glancing to Chico who was in the passenger's seat.

"We hit the Jackpot Fitz, there's gotta be at least 50 million credits and that's just in my bag….WE'RE RICH!" shouted Chico high fiving one of his friends in the back seat. Suddenly a shadow formed over the speeding convertible. The five thieves looked up to see two figures in an form fitting black and purple costume heading straight for them.

"THE KNIGHTBREED!" Chico shouted as the two figures dropped onto the hood of the fast moving convertible. Fitz stared in shock at the knightbreed characters as they landed on the hood. They had on black and purple body suits, and they had black flowing capes and a sliver mouth guards that covered the lower half of their faces.

"SHAKE EM' FITZ!"

"I'M TRYIN YOU IDIOT!" Fitz yelled back as he made the car swerve all across the road trying to shake the two vigilantes off, but they kept their balance. One of the knightbreed characters pulled out a long blade. The blade then started to give off a electrical charge. He raised the blade and then stabbed it through the hood of the convertible. The electrical charge shorted out the engine making the convertible come to a sudden stop. The two Knightbreed vigilantes jumped off of the convertible and land a few feet away waiting for the thieves to get out of the dead convertible.

The five thieves looked at the two with fear in their eyes

"Holy shit Fitz what do we do….what do we do" whispered Chico

"First of all Chico you're gonna calm down" Fitz whispered back forcefully, "There are two of them and five of us….we can take them. Especially since I got this" said Fitz pulling out a gun.

"Are you fucking insane….this is the Knightbreed we're talking about. They've been known to leave guys like us Dead"

"I ain't afraid of them" replied Fitz staring at the two Knightbreed characters with their black capes blowing in the wind.

"THIEVES! This is your first and only warning get out of the car and get on your knees and accept your punishment"

"FUCK YOU!" shouted Fitz raising his gun and letting off a few rounds, one of the bullets grazed the arm of the second knightbreed character

"AGH!" he shouted grabbing his arm. The first Knightbreed had dodged the bullets, and pulled out several small knives and he threw them Fitz. The knives struck Fitz in the arm and in the neck.

"JESUS!" shouted Chico as he looked at Fitz who was grabbing his neck frantically trying to stop all of the blood that was gushing out. Chico quickly hopped over the side of the door and got down on his knees. The other three thieves jumped out of the convertible and tried to run away, but suddenly three arrows descended from the sky and struck each of the three running thugs in the chest. They fell to the ground dead. Chico looked at his three dead friends and then he looked up into the sky and he saw another Knightbreed figure gliding down to the ground but the only difference with this one was that he was wearing a dark green cape instead of the black, and he had long hair. The newcomer slowly walked over to Chico, who was trembling in his spot, and gave him the most menacing stare he could muster.

"Vanquish we had them" came the voice of the first Knightbreed character as he came running over.

"I know you did Cloak, but you passed your final test" replied Vanquish turning his piercing gaze to the Knightbreed named Cloak.

"Really"

"Yes"

"So, f-finally we're going to get the brand, we're full f-fledged Knightbreed now" asked the second Knightbreed character making his way over to the two, he was still holding his arm in pain, from the gun shot.

"No"

"But you just….." started Cloak

"I said that you Cloak. You have passed the test. You have taken your first kill, you didn't hesitate to kill your enemy and for that you have proven yourself worthy of being inducted into the Knightbreed family, but you Dagger. You haven't taken your first kill yet so you have not proved yourself"

"I-I….."

"In six months both of you have climbed the ranks of new recruit to potential Breed members quicker than anyone has ever seen, but this is how you prove to us that you are willing to commit yourself to something bigger. We are the Knightbreed, We are here to show these criminals that they are not safe, We are here to show them that we are the cure to the disease that they bring upon this city. We are the spirit of Gotham and an enemy that wishes to do harm to Gotham and it's inhabitants is our enemy…..and we kill our enemies…now Dagger, prove to us…prove your worth….become one of us, become the spirit of Gotham" said Vanquish pulling out a crossbow and handing it to Dagger. Dagger took the crossbow in his hands and looked at it and then at Chico who was looking back at him with wide eyes.

"I-I-I don't know about this…..I mean I'm all for beating this guy senseless, but killing him"

"Dagger what are you doing you can do this. How many times have you told me you wanted to kill…."

"I said I wanted to kill the guy who killed my Father" replied Dagger

"Terminal" responded Vanquish looking at Dagger

"…how did you…" he started

"Your name is Brian right…Brian Milwood right" Vanquish continued

"Vanquish are you crazy….you just.." started Cloak

"SHUT UP!" he roared turning his steely gaze to Cloak who fearfully took a step back. Vanquish then turned back to Dagger.

"You now have a Choice Brian. Either you can kill him and become apart of our Organization or…..you can quit, we will hold no ill will towards you for your choice, but I wonder Brian…..can you say the same for this lowlife right here. You can quit and not become a Knightbreed, but think about this, when this guy goes to that joke of a jail and gets out two days later, you have to wonder if he will hold any ill will against you"

"W-What"

"You were part of a group that helped to murder his friends and you sent him to jail, I wonder how long it would take for him to track you down…..I mean he already has your name, so it wouldn't be long before he tracked you down, then your mother and then your sister" said Vanquish.

"P-Please…I-I'm not gonna do that….I-I-I'm not a murder….Please….I-I've learned my lesson"

"Has he learned his lesson Brian…can you really trust the word of a thief"

Brian/Dagger turned to Chico and looked at him. He instantly had a flashback to when he was looking at his Father's dead body, and then he imagined it was his Mother and sister. He then gripped the crossbow tightly and slowly held it up towards Chico.

"NO! NO! PLEASE! HELP! HELP!" shouted Chico

"Shut up" said Vanquish kicking him

"DO IT DAGGER DO IT!" Cloak urged

"please" whispered Chico

"I'm Sorry" said Dagger as he pulled the trigger. The arrow released and imbedded itself deep into Chico's skull killing him. Dagger lowered his arm as he saw Chico hit the cold hard Neo-Gotham street.

"You have now proven yourself Dagger…..you are now one of us"

Cloak put his hand on Dagger's shoulder

"Good job buddy….that guy was a lowlife…." Started Cloak before Dagger knocked his hand off of his shoulder

"Shut up Evan" replied Dagger angrily. He turned to Vanquish and walked up to him.

"GET BENT!" he shouted shoving the crossbow into Vanquishes chest. He then quickly turned and ran down the street as fast as he could.

"DAGGER WAIT!" said Cloak attempting to go after his long time friend but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Leave him be…People react to death in different ways. Some like you and me accept it and others like Dagger…have a hard time with it, but I promise you by tomorrow he will be back" said Vanquish confidently.

"How do you know" asked Cloak

"Because he pulled the trigger"

**WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!** Went the police sirens in the distance.

"Come we must go" said Vanquish as he heard the sirens. He quickly went over to the convertible and grabbed the duffel bags that were full of the jewels and tucked under his arm.

Vanquish and Cloak both pressed a button on their utility belts. Their blowing capes suddenly went stiff and then folded up into a small pack that was on their backs. Suddenly the packs gave a slow whirring until two small rocket boosters extended out. The boosters roared to life and propelled them into the dark Neo-Gotham sky.

* * *

**That Morning 8:00 am: Neo-Gotham Hospital**

"Yes sir how may I help you"

"Uh….yes, my name is Brian Milwood and I think I need some stitches" he said the nurse at the desk. The nurse looked at his arm that had a bandage wrapped around it and nodded her head.

"Wait just a moment"

Brian Milwood stood at 5'10 and he was currently 20years old. He short black hair, brown eyes and dark brown skin. Brian had a lean build and was wearing a blue sleeveless shirt with black pants; also he had a tattoo going across his left forearm. Brian went over to the waiting area and sat down. He let out a sigh and put his hands on his head.

"ERM!" he grunted feeling the pain from his arm and the bullet wound. He grabbed the wrapped wound and leaned back in his chair. He turned to the right where a TV was playing a news report.

* * *

_**TV **_

_Tom: Good Morning Neo-Gotham, I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always is Kim Brooms…and we are bringing you the news Kim…._

_Kim: Thanks Tom our top story this morning the Jewel thieves that have been robbing several Jewelry stores were found Dead this morning, and from the arrows that were found in their bodies it's only safe to assume that the Knightbreed is responsible for these murders…..Tom" _

_Tom: How right you are Kim the Knightbreed must be responsible for these murders not just because of the arrows, but because they have been known to prowl that area of Neo-Gotham at night" _

_Kim: This is another murder five murders on the on the long list of murders that these violent vigilantes have wracked up over the years and the NGCPD is still at square one with catching them" _

_Tom: I tried to sit down and talk with Commissioner Barbara Gordon, but as usual she was evasive" _

_

* * *

_

_Tom: So Commissioner Gordon what can you tell me…." _

_Commissioner Gordon: The NGCPD is doing everything within its power to catch not only the Knightbreed, but the Jokerz as well, all that we ask of the People of Neo-Gotham is that if you have any information on either of these violent gangs please step forward…thank you" she interrupted. _

_

* * *

_

_Tom: With these growing attacks by the Knightbreed one has to wonder is the NGCPD doing everything in its power….._

_Kim: What do you mean Tom_

_Tom: What I mean Kim is….are the police going to work with Batman again" _

_Kim: That is a good question Tom, but remember though its only a rumor with a few eye witnesses, is this truly the original Batman or is this the work of someone else" _

_Tom: How right you are Kim, but the question still stands, if this truly is Batman will the police work with him to rid the streets of these gangs like they used to do years ago_

_Kim: That is a good question Tom, but only time will tell…more news when we come back_

_

* * *

_

**Neo-Gotham Hospital**

"Batman" said Brian with raised eyebrows

"Brian Milwood, the Doctor will see you now" the nurse called out. Brian stood up and followed the nurse to his room.

* * *

**10 minutes later**

"Thanks Doc" said Brian leaving the room with the Doctor behind him.

"No problem Mr. Milwood, but remember put that ointment on 2 times a day and be careful out there…..Gotham can be a pretty rough place especially on someone young like you"

"Thanks Doc I'll remember" replied Brain walking away.

As he was walking down the hallway he couldn't help but think out the news report and about last night. He had taken his first kill and all that he could think about was the frightened look on the face of the guy he murdered, sure he was a thief, but he deserved to be in jail not killed.

'_You did what you had to'_ he thought to himself as he turned the corner, '_He knew your name…and you couldn't risk your family'_ he continued to think. Brian came to a stop after thinking about his family. About two and a half years ago his Father was a high ranking judge and he was the judge that was responsible for sentencing ruthless Jokerz leader Victor Tuelio. Victor's response to that was to send his hit squad after him. Brian was in his room when he heard someone breaking in. He saw six jokerz storm his house. Where they proceeded to beat his father, within an inch of his life. His Father tried to fight back but they overpowered him. Then something happened he would never forget. One of the Jokerz who resembled a zombie more than a Joker stepped forward with a gun. He aimed the gun and pulled the trigger and shot his Father in the head. Brian stayed hidden in his spot eyes glued to the whole scene, and then a name was spoken a name he would never forget.

"Terminal…let's go….cops will be here soon"

The one named Terminal put the gun back into his pocket and turned and left the house, without a word. Brian slowly stepped from his hiding spot and went over to his father, it was by sheer luck that his mother and sister were running late that night, because if they would have been there, then who knows what would have happened.

'_They would be dead too'_ he thought, "I'll be damned if I let anything happen to them…He knew my name…I did the right thing" he said to himself quietly. Brian let out a sigh and turned to the left where he saw the hospital food court.

"I'm starving" he said to himself going towards the Hospital Cafeteria

* * *

**Cafeteria**

Brian walked to the end of the long line; and he looked at the menu and tried to decide on what he wanted.

"Get the Special" said a voice behind him. He looked behind himself and he saw a cute brown skin girl behind him looking at the menu as well. She was about his height, and his age, and she had pink hair. She was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and a brown jacket and she had a small bandage going across her eyebrow.

"And why should I do that"

"Because Today's breakfast special is Pancakes, scrambled eggs, grits, and a fruit cup, breakfast of champions"

"If you say so" Brian replied with a smile

"What not a fan of Pancakes"

"I've always liked Waffles better"

"Guy you don't know what you're missing" she said, "So what are you in for"

"What"

"You do know that you're in a hospital right, so what are you in for, you don't look sick"

"To be fair neither do you"

"My injuries are more internal now"

"A-Are you dying"

"No that's not what I meant"

"Oh"

"I-I…..I got jumped by some jokerz, they did a number on me but I'm all healed up now" she replied looking down.

"I'm sorry that happened to you"

"Yeah me too…..so what about you"

"Gunshot wound" replied Brian turning slightly and showing her the bandage on his arm.

"Oh my God….how did it happen"

Brian looked at her and her reaction and smiled.

"What"

"It's true what they say, the ladies love Gun shot wounds"

"Very funny Romeo"

"I got this by…." Started Brian before he paused for a second at looked into the girl's eyes, her, "I-I got this by a Jokerz gang member"

"R-Really"

"Yeah, three of them started up some trouble with me and my friend we were able to fight them off but one of them got off a lucky shot, nothing serious though, just a flesh wound" said Brian.

"You're lucky" she replied looking at his wound "Man I hate those damn Jokerz…something needs to be done about them"

"I….agree, something does need to be done"

"EXCUSE ME SIR WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE" said the breakfast lady. Brian the mystery girl were so busy talking to each other they didn't realize that the line had been moving and now he was at the front.

"Oh…Sorry about that, I'll uh…..I'll have the breakfast special please"

"3.50$" the breakfast lady responded

Brain handed her a credit and she took it and scanned it and handed it back to him. She then began to scoop his breakfast into a plate and then she handed him the plate.

"Thanks" he said while walking to a table and sitting down. A few seconds later the girl came and sat down at his table across from him.

"You know I never asked you what your name was"

"It's Brian"

"Brian what" she asked taking a bite of her breakfast

"Aren't you the curious one" replied Brian

"One of my many personality quirks"

Brian let out a small laugh, "its Milwood, Brian Milwood"

"I'm Max. Max Gibson"

"Is Max short for Maxine"

"Yes it is, but don't call me Maxine it's Max" she said looking him in the eyes

"Got it" he replied

"So Brian…where do you go to school" asked Max as she continued to eat her breakfast.

* * *

**Powers Secret Lab**

Derek Powers was laying on slab in his secret lab and he was still glowing that neon green color. He was staring up at a human shaped box, which was going to lower down on top on him.

"Are you ready Mr. Powers" asked a Scientist that came to stand next to him. The scientists in the lab where still in their radioactive protective suits, but they began to notice that as the days passed Derek's anger only grew more and more, and as they found out earlier that the angrier he got the more Radiation he produced, so they've been working around the clock trying to find a way to reverse the affects of the Radiation.

"Will this cure me" asked Derek

"We are confident that this solution will curve your Radiation output" the scientist responded.

"Good…..let's do this"

"Very well Mr. Powers…..let's begin" he said backing away and waving his hand. The scientist by the controls began to type into the computer and the human shaped box that hovered over Derek began to lower until it covered him completely.

"Beginning Radiations drain now"

The Machine whirred slightly and let out a giant draft of high pressure steam.

"Begin grafting skin"

The machine started to hum loudly and it gave a slight shuddered and then it went silent. The scientists looked at the control board, which read in big letters: **Skin Successfully grafted 8 days remaining before next treatment. **

"Alright let him out" said the lead scientist who was standing next to the machine. The human shaped box began to rise and there laying on the slab wasn't the neon glowing Derek Powers, but the normal tanned skin Derek Powers.

"Remarkable" said the scientist walking towards Derek. Suddenly Derek's eyes opened.

"Did it work" he asked

"Stand up and look for yourself Mr. Powers" replied the scientist. Derek slowly sat up and swung his legs over the side of the slab. He stood up and walked towards one of the reflective metal surfaces in the lab. Derek looked himself over and noticed that he wasn't glowing green and he didn't have any dark black spots from the nerve gas.

"Excellent work Doctor…..I'm cured" he said looking at his hands

"Uh…..Mr. Powers you're not cured"

Derek stopped looking at his hands and turned his gaze to the now trembling scientist

"What did you say" said Derek menacingly

"I-I said you're not cured"

"WHAT!" roared Derek lunging at the scientist and grabbing him by the scruff of his radiation protection suit.

"Sir Calm down….please listen to me. Yes it's true you're not cured, we tried everyway we know to reverse the radiation process, but regrettably it's permanent. You will forever be radioactive…..ack!" grunted the scientist feeling Derek's grip tightening around his throat

"NOOOO!"

"B-But We f-found a way around it"

"What"

"Your skin…..i-it's a new type of polymer that we've been working on. These suits that we are in are too bulky so we thought what if there was a synthetic skin that we could wear over our skin that would protect us from vast amounts of radiation…You are first person we've tried it on and so far it's keeping your radiation at bay"

"SO I'M YOUR FUCKING GUINEA PIG!"

"IT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO LEAVE! It's the only way Mr. Powers, but you must control your temper. The synthetic skin can only take so much radiation and every time you get angry you let off too much radiation. If you go above a certain level you'll eat through the skin, so please….calm down" said the scientist quickly.  
Derek stared at the scientist with absolute rage in his eyes, but slowly and bit by bit he composed himself. He shoved the scientist to the ground. He straightened himself and then turned to the reflective surface again. Derek looked himself over once more before he narrowed his eyes.

"GET ME SOME CLOTHES! And get my limo Its time for me to get out of here" he shouted out.

"Mr. Powers" said the scientist on the ground

"What"

"You must return here in 8 days"

"Why"

"Because that's how long before the skin you are wearing now begins to break down, you need another coating of the synthetic skin"

Derek balled up his fist in anger but then he released it, "Fine Doctor…" he replied still staring at himself in the reflective surface.

* * *

**Hamilton University 4:00pm: Main Office**

"Hi I'm Terry McGinnis and I need a listing off all of my classes please"

"One moment" replied the lady behind the desk in the main office of Hamilton University. She typed into her computer and then a sheet came out of the printer. She took the sheet and handed it to Terry.

"Thanks"

"No problem Mr. McGinnis"

Terry took the paper and then walked out of the office and outside to the crowded campus of Hamilton University. Terry looked up from the sheet and at all of the College students that were roaming the campus. Some were on hover boards skating around, some were walking or running to their class and others were just lounging around enjoying the afternoon sun.

"Ah College….higher learning" said Terry maneuvering through the young adults. He looked down at the sheet in his hands and he noticed that all of his classes were done for the day, his last class ended at 3:45 pm. He looked at his watched at notice it was 4:05 pm.

"Well would you look at that I'm done for the day" he said folding up the sheet and putting it in his pocket. After doing that he grabbed his cell phone and flipped it open, and dialed a few numbers.

"Come on pick up"

"McGinnis what is it"

"I'm done for the day. Time for some training"

"No"

"Come on Old Man it's been two days since the incident I've learned my lesson"

"I know you learned your lesson, but right now I have some Wayne-Powers stuff to deal with"

"Fine I'll meet you…"

"No I can take care of this myself…you just focus on going to school which I know for a fact that you didn't go to any of your classes today McGinnis"

"How did…you know what nevermind sorry…I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning"

"I know" replied Bruce before disconnecting the line

"Of course he knows" said Terry closing the phone. He let out a sigh and started for the direction of his house. Since he didn't have to train he might as well get some sleep. As he was walking though, he glanced to the side and saw Dana coming out of the Library with a few books in her hands. She was walking down the steps when she tripped slightly and her books spilled out of her hands. Terry wasted no time in running over to her.

* * *

"Stupid Test, Stupid Books, Stupid Steps" grumbled Dana bending down and picking up her books. Just as she went for the last book another hand appeared and grabbed it.

"Advanced medical practices" Terry read out loud, "Hardly what you would can recreational reading Dana"

"Terry. What are you doing here" she replied grabbing the book and standing up.

"I go to school here now"

"Is that by choice" she asked tilting her head sideways

"You got me. Part of my probation I have to go to school"

"And you chose this University"

"I hear it's the best"

"Uh huh….goodbye Terry" said Dana brushing past him and walking away. Terry not one to be turned down so easily ran after her. Unknown to Terry, Carter was watching him from the entrance of the library.

"Wait hold on a second Dana. Why do you keep running away from me" asked Terry jogging up to her and standing in her path.

"Take a wild guess McGinnis"

"Okay how about this, you were lying when you said you don't have feelings for me" he said

"Or how about I just don't want to talk to you"

"That's not it"

"Yes it is"

"No it isn't Dana. I know you not over me and I'm damn sure not over you. So please just…just give me a second to explain everything and…." Started Terry before a loud shout interrupted him.

"DANA!" shouted Carter running up to the two of them.

"Carter!" said Dana in surprise.

"Hey" he replied coming to a stop he gave her a smile and then kissed her on the cheek right in front of Terry.

"Uh…..Carter" said Terry "We're kinda in a discussion so could you go over there" Terry said while pointing across the campus.

"Oh I'm Sorry I didn't realize, I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed our date the other day and I was hoping that you were free later on tonight"

"Oh….Carter I-I-I…." stuttered Dana before she looked at Terry and then back at Carter, "I-I…..I'm gonna be late for class….I'll talk to you guys later bye" she said quickly before running away from the both of them.

"DANA!" they both shouted out at the same time. Terry and Carter then looked at each other and they both narrowed their eyes.

"So…..you're Terry" started Carter sizing him up. Carter was slightly taller than him but they both had relatively the same build.

"I see Dana has mentioned me"

"Not in the way that you're thinking, she usually says your name with disgust"

"A misunderstanding that I'm going to clear up and when I do we can pick up where we left off"

"The only thing you'll be picking up McGinnis is your teeth if I see you with Dana again…..she's mine"

"First of all Carter was it…..Dana isn't anyone's property, she's free to make her own choices, and I know that she's gonna choose me do you know why….it's because she loves me just like I love her, and Carter if you ever threaten me again I'll break your fucking jaw"

Carter stepped closer until they were standing chest to chest with each other. Carter suddenly put a smile on his face and backed away.

"You watch yourself McGinnis. The streets of Neo-Gotham can be very dangerous at night" he said in a low voice.

"I will and you Carter….you might wanna do the same" Terry replied

Carter swiftly turned and stormed away from Terry. Terry watched him leave with narrow eyes and he began to wonder, just who the hell was this Carter guy.

* * *

**Later that Nigh: TV News**

_Tom: "Good Evening Neo-Gotham it is now 10:00pm and we are bringing you the nightly news and with me as always is Kim Brooms"_

_Kim: "Thanks Tom, our top story tonight, Derek Powers has resurfaced and he brings with him an explanation for his absence for the past 5 weeks" _

_Tom: Was it a good one Kim_

_Kim: That is a good question Tom, why do you and the rest of Neo-Gotham decided for yourselves._

_

* * *

_

_Kim: Thank you for joining me Mr. Powers_

_Derek: "It's my pleasure Kim, I'm sure you and everyone else has had some burning questions and here am I to answer them" _

_Kim: "First question are you in league with the Terrorist Organization named Kobra" _

_Derek: "Excellent Question Kim and the answer to that question is yes and no. Allow me to elaborate. For the better part of 2 years now I have been working in conjunction with US Government to help them entrap these insane terrorist. Long ago they approached me and wanted me to help them with something and I immediately did my patriotic duty in alerting those that deal with this sort of thing. They immediately advised me to play along, until the time was right to spring out our trap which is what happened five weeks ago. We laid the trap and Kobra took the bait" _

_Kim: Wow….why the disappearance" _

_Derek: A few of the Kobra terrorist got away and once it was learned they escaped, I was immediately put into protective custody until it was safe" _

_Kim: "That….that is quite the tale Mr. Powers, and we thank you for doing your patriotic duty in keep this country safe" _

_Derek: "It was my pleasure Kim and I would do it again in a heartbeat" _

_Kim: "One question though, can you give us specific names as to whom in the government….." _

_Derek: "Hahaha…..nice try Kim but you know I can't do that you know the deal National Security and all. _

_Kim: Worth a shot_

_Derek: I'm just glad all of this is behind me and now I can focus on my Company_

_Kim: Which brings us to the next point what do you think about Bruce Wayne coming back into the picture and trying to actively run the company again_

_Derek: I think Mr. Wayne just had a moment of panic in my disappearance, he's always been a bit untrustworthy of me so when he heard the worst his mind immediately went to "I knew Derek Powers was no good", but I assure you once I sit down and talk with him, he'll realize that Wayne-Powers is in good hands"_

_

* * *

_

**Batcave: Same Time**

Bruce was sitting in the chair in front of the Bat computer watching the entire news report with narrow eyes.

"WHAT A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!" Terry yelled out from his training spot. He was currently on the platform learning a new fighting style.

"Concentrate on what you're doing" Bruce replied not taking his eyes off of Derek's smiling face.

"How can I concentrate when the second man responsible for murdering my Dad is sitting there clearing his name" replied Terry copying a blocking move from the young Bruce, "I mean how the hell is he still alive anyway, I saw him take a whiff of that nerve gas and didn't that Douglas guy say the gas was fatal"

"He said it was fatal, unless you curbed the effects with large amounts of radiation, but the amount needed he would definitely be showing some signs, but he looks to be in perfect health" said Bruce studying Derek closely

"Maybe there was a secret cure or something"

"Or something" replied Bruce putting his hands together in thought.

* * *

**Max's House**

"Well this is me" said Max indicating the house behind her.

"You have a nice home Max" replied Brian

"It's alright, I wish we had a bigger one"

"I think it's fine"

"What's the old saying: The grass is always greener" she replied with a smile.

A small moment passed between the two, with both of them just looking at each other. Then slowly they, began to step closer to each other, they began to lean closer and their lips almost met in a kiss, but then Max's front door swished open and her Father stepped out of the house.

"MAXINE!"

Brian and Max quickly broke apart and turned to face her father.

"DAD! I'm kinda in the middle of something" she whispered a little forcefully, making Brian smile slightly.

"I don't care you were supposed to be home hours ago, where the hell have you been and who the hell are you"

"Uh…My name is Brian sir and I was just walking Max home"

"I hope that's all you were doing" replied Max's father

"Yes sir" he replied

"Get in here now Maxine"

Max gave a low growl in her throat and then turned back to Brian.

"Well…..I guess the moment's ruined huh"

"Yeah….for now. I'll see you later Max" said Brian taking a step back. Max smiled and turned and walked towards her house, where her father was waiting. Brian followed her with his eyes as she went into the house and the door swished closed behind her.

**RING! **went his cell phone. Brian fished inside his pocket for the phone then pulled it out.

"What"

"Brian it's me Evan where have you been, I've been looking for you all day"

Brian quickly walked away from Max's house before he said anything on the phone. He turned a corner and then put the cell phone back to his ear.

"Don't worry about where I've been….what the hell was that last night"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean Evan"

"Brian this is what you wanted right, to be apart of the Knightbreed right"

"Yeah but you didn't tell me I had to kill people"

"But you wanted to bring criminals to justice right…this is justice. That guy learned the ultimate lesson you commit a crime and you forfeit your life, he'll hurt no one else, thanks to us…..thanks to you"

"Listen I didn't sign on for murdering petty thieves okay the only person I want or aspire to kill is Terminal….only him"

"And you will Brian and I'll help you, but in order to be a Knightbreed you have to make your first kill and you did…..I promise you the world is a better place without that guy….all that's left for us now is to receive our Mark….come on Brian I can't do this without you, we're a team remember best friends, brothers in arms….Cloak and Dagger. What kinda duo am I with only one person"

"Easy you're not" said Brian

"Exactly….I need you man"

"I don't want to kill anyone else"

"Alright look I'll make you a deal…from now on I'll do all of the dirty work when it comes down to it, but when we take on the jokerz I'll leave Terminal to you how does that sound"

"…fine. That sounds fine"

"Cool now come on I'm waiting outside of the place for you….it's time to get our Mark"

"Alright…..I'll be there in Ten" said Brian hanging up the phone. He put the phone inside his pocket and leaned against the stone wall that he walking past. He let out a long sigh and looked up into the crisp Gotham night sky

"I'm doing the right thing. Right Dad. I'm getting rid of the violent criminals that roam these streets. I'm protecting Mom and Kourtney…..right" he said out loud to himself, "I pray to God I am"

Brian got off of the wall and headed in the direction of his house to get his Knightbreed uniform.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's Dry Cleaners **

Standing in front of the seemingly ordinary dry cleaning place was a boy that looked to be about 21years old. He was tall about 6'0ft and he had short dyed blue hair. He had green eyes, tanned skin and a lean muscular build. The boy's name was Evan and he was standing outside waiting on his best friend since 3rd grade Brian. Looking down the street Evan saw Brian making his way towards him.

"Brian Buddy I'm glad you made it…..you had me worried there for a second" said Evan

"I almost didn't come, but…..I want Terminal….so let's do this"

"I promise buddy we'll get him" said Evan.  
The two friends then proceed to enter the Dry cleaners.

* * *

Walking into the Dry Cleaners they saw many washer and dryers and several people of various genders, races and ages groups and they were all seemingly washing their clothes or watching the television, but in secret every person in the Dry Cleaners was apart of the Knightbreed and they were closely watching Evan and Brian as they entered.

"How may I help you" asked an elderly woman that was sitting in a chair next to the door.

"Yes ma'am can you direct me to the hall of justice" replied Evan

"Why of course dear" she said pointing to the back of the store

"Thank you" said Brain as he and Evan walked through the Dry Cleaners. After hearing the exchange between them and the old woman the disguised Knightbreed relaxed they had spoken the password.

Brian and Evan walked to the back of the store where there was a door. Brian knocked on the door three times and then it swished open to reveal a person in a Purple and Black body suit with a red cape and red mask standing in an elevator.

"Come you are expected"

Brian and Evan stepped onto the elevator. The door swished closed and the elevator began to descend. After a few minutes the elevator stopped and the doors opened. The three passengers stepped off and into an extremely large open area, where dozens of people were training. Some were sparring with each other, some were lifting weights and some were running. Everyone though was wearing the color scheme of purple and black and another color of their choosing. Brian and Evan walked through the training area that they themselves had once been through, six months prior.

"Cloak, Dagger…..we have been waiting for you" came Vanquish's voice from a balcony that was overlooking the training area. Vanquish jumped off the balcony and landed gracefully on the ground in front of them.

"Come the ceremony is awaiting. Vanquish swiftly turned his dark green cape blowing behind him and leading Brian and Evan towards a set of steps, that led deep into the Knightbreed underground training area.

The two friends followed Vanquish down the steps and into a lowly lit room. The room was filled with rows of full fledged Knightbreed vigilantes. The rows were parted in the center and they were all facing a thrown that had a woman sitting on it that was shrouded in darkness. They could tell it was a woman because of the two toned, bare slender legs that were folded and the knee high black boots that were on her feet. Vanquish led them down the center path and all the way up to the thrown.

"My Empress…..I present to you the newest recruits that have proven themselves worthy of carrying on the Knightbreed mission…..I present to you Cloak and Dagger" said Vanquish giving a slight bow and the stepping to the side. They squinted their eyes and tried to peer through the dark shroud to see the woman's face but the darkness was too thick.

"On your Knees" came the woman's strong yet alluring voice. Brian and Evan glanced at each other before slowly dropping to their knees. A silence passed throughout the entire room, no noise could be heard as the two sat on their knees waiting for the mysterious woman to say something.

"Vanquish has told me a great deal about the two of you" said the woman after a few tense moments, "He has said that you two are possibly the best recruits he has ever produced" she continued

"Is that what he said" asked Evan

"Yes. I'm curious though, why the name Cloak and Dagger, what is the significance behind this name" she asked

"Well….it's kinda a long story but….." started Evan

"Who are you" interrupted Brain. The silence that was in the room returned when Brian spoke those three words. The shrouded woman uncrossed her legs and stood up. She then walked forward and down the three steps that led up to her thrown. Stepping down the steps, she revealed herself to Brian and Evan and they both reacted the same way.

"Whoa" they both said at the same time.

The light revealed a beautiful woman that was about 5'11, with long jet black hair that went to her back, she had blue eyes, and a purple mask on her face. She was in skin tight sleeveless and legless black and purple body armor, which had a purple cape that flowed behind her. The woman had on black gloves and on her right wrist was a mini crossbow. The woman walked towards Brain and leaned down close to him.

"I have many names, but one name I like more than others has always been…Huntress"

"Huntress" Brian repeated looking at her

"Yes My name is Huntress, and I am the Empress of the Knightbreed. I started this organization for one reason and one reason only. To bring Justice to those that have been wronged. All of you that are here, those that are in training, have all been wronged, all have been hurt and have you received justice…..No you haven't, but you want Justice , and I can give it to you…the Knightbreed can give it to you, which is why you are here. You have stayed the coarse and finished your training and you have proven yourselves to be worthy of the uniforms that you wear and the names that you use to strike fear into the heart of criminals…..are you ready to receive your mark" asked Huntress with a piercing look at both Brian and Evan.

"Hell Yes...Empress Huntress I am ready" replied Evan without a second thought. Huntress nodded her head and then turned to Brian. Brian looked her in the eyes for a moment and then looked down at the ground.

'_I'm protecting my family'_ he thought one final time before lifting his head up and staring into her eyes.

"I'm ready"

"Good…..hold out your arms" she said while waving her hand. From the side two Knightbreed affiliates brought in a medium sized iron pot that had burning hot coals inside and a metal rod sticking out. Huntress grabbed hold of the metal rod and pulled it out of the pot. The end of the metal rod had two letters carved at the end of it. The Letters were K and B. She brought the burning hot letters to Brian's arm first

"Do you swear allegiance to me and the Knightbreed. Do you swear to do what is necessary, to bring justice, law, and order to a lawless world. Do you swear to give your life for you fellow Knightbreed Comrades?"

"I do" said Brian

"I do too Huntress"

Huntress lowered the burning hot letters onto Brian's arm. He gave out a grunt in pain as he felt the letters being seared into his flesh. Taking the metal rod off of his arm Huntress dipped it back into the hot coals again and then did the same thing to Evan, while she did that Brian was looking at the two letters on his arm and at the commitment he just made.

"Cloak and Dagger…Welcome to the Knightbreed"

"KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREED!" shouted out the others in the room. As the chanting grew louder, Brian glanced over at his friend Evan who was chanting as well and then looked at Huntress who had a giant smile on her face, her eyes closed and her hands raised in the air.

* * *

**Across Town: Wayne Powers**

Derek Powers stood looking at his reflection in the large window that overlooked Neo-Gotham city. He slowly reached up to his face and rubbed his hand across the synthetic skin. To him it felt weird he could feel the skin, but at the same time he couldn't feel it, he knew that the skin was on but he couldn't tell if it was hot or cold, it felt like his whole body was covered in a thin glove and in a sense that was true. Derek didn't have long to dwell on his new condition because at that moment the intercom on his desk began to beep.

**BEEP!**

"What is it" he said pressing the button

"Sir…uh….Mr. Wayne is here to see you"

"…..Send him in" he replied

Derek had been thinking about this moment since that Interview Wayne had done a few weeks ago.

Through the doors that led to his Office Bruce Wayne walked in, and as he was walking in his eyes locked with those of Derek Powers. Walking to the desk Bruce stood there staring at him with that stare that made most people want to take a step back in fear, but Derek stood there unafraid.

"Powers"

"Wayne how nice to see you, I'm surprise you were able to hobble out of that depressing Mansion of yours"

"And I'm surprised the US government hasn't arrested you yet"

"Didn't you hear my interview earlier; I was working with them to take down Kobra"

"You can cut the act Powers, I'm not like everyone else, you can't manipulate me I know when someone is lying and in that so called interview you gave every word out of your mouth was a lie" said Bruce with narrow eyes. Hearing Bruce's words caused Derek to become upset, he started to ball up his fist, but when he didn't that he felt a small pop. He glanced down at his left hand and saw a small crack and the color green was showing. Taking a deep breathe Derek forced himself to calm down.

"Bruce I think you must be mistaken I was telling the truth"

"You can cling to whatever lie you want Powers, but I know the truth….from now on I'm an active member of this company any decision you make from now on has to go through me, any type of money transaction or undercover mission has to be run by me first and if you don't like it, read the fine print of the contract we both signed years ago and you'll see that there is a clause in there that keeps me in the loop, I've never enforced it….. until now"

"I'll be sure to do that"

"I hope you do….see you tomorrow Powers" said Bruce abruptly turning and walking out of the office leaving Derek alone once again.

Derek's eyes remained glued to the door that Bruce had exited out of for a few moments, until he sat down in his chair. He put both hands together and leaned forward on his desk in thought. Glancing down at his desk he pressed a button and a secret slot on his desk opened up and inside this slot was a cell phone. He picked up the cell phone and began to dial a few numbers.

After a few rings someone answered the phone.

"Powers" came a sultry voice on the other end

"Inque"

"I'm guessing this isn't a social call, so….." she started

"Alright... you win; I'll pay you whatever you want to get rid of Wayne"

"Hahaha…I knew you would see it my way Powers. I'll be on the first flight to Gotham within the week" she said before she hung up the phone. Once the line was cut Derek hung up the phone and put it back into the secret slot. Leaning back in his chair he couldn't help but feel his anger begin to grow again. He was angry at the fact that Wayne was trying stick his nose in his business, and he was especially angry at the fact that he had to bend to the whims of someone like Inque. As his anger grew the he began to feel small pops going along his hand and arm. He held up his left hand again and saw that there were dozens of cracks going along his hand. Looking at the cracks and at the green glow he reached over with his right hand and began to rip off the synthetic skin that was on his left hand. He ripped and ripped until his true skin was showing. Derek balled his left hand into a fist and watched as his hand began to glow brighter and brighter until a neon green color illuminated the room. Looking at his glowing hand a smirk began to drift along his face.

"Perhaps this curse….is a blessing in disguise" he said to himself as his smirk grew into a smile.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey readers it's me again, back with the closing comments, I hope everyone enjoyed the latest chapter, that was filled with what I hope was shocking discoveries. I promise there are plenty more shocking moments coming up soon. I hope you readers out there continue to enjoy the story and I hope that you review as well, If you have any question feel free to ask me either in your review or just send me a message and I'll get back to you, ASAP…..this is Nomad88 saying until next time…..**

**Ps: Oh if you haven't checked out the newest chapter to Amazing Spider-man remember to head on over and check that story out and leave a review as well…..thanks **

**Next up: That Inque Situation**


	8. That Inque Situation

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN THESE CHARACTERS. I repeat I do not own these characters; in fact all of the credit goes directly to DC. DC OWNS EVERYTHING, I'm not making any money off of this story, no money is being exchanged I can assure you, so please find it in your heart not to sue me….thanks….now on with the story. **

**Hey people it's me back with a brand new chapter in the Batman Beyond Universe I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter, and now that I've done a few introductory chapters it's time for some good ol' action….so Read, Review(Feedback is GOLDEN), and of course Enjoy…..**

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* * *

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** Chapter 8: That Inque Situation**

**Neo-Gotham Private Air Field**

A sleek white and black Learjet descended onto the private Neo-Gotham air field strip. The Learjet landed and the engine began to shut off. The doors of the jet began to open to reveal a few steps. A few seconds later a woman from within the plane stepped onto the first step and took a deep breathe. The woman was wearing a tight midnight black dress, with a black hat covering her head; she lifted her head and the face under the hat was none other than the terrorist that simply went by the name: Inque.

Inque has had many names, but Inque is the name that she chose when she underwent her transformation or her Rebirth if you were to ask her. Inque wasn't always the well put together woman that she was now. Once long ago she was….normal….average, just like everyone else. Worrying about bills, money, children and everything else in-between, until one day she grew tired of being normal. All of her life she aspired to be something different, but like everyone else she realized that when you get older your priorities change, especially when you have a husband and kids. So like a normal person she fell into a mundane routine, wake up, work, kids, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat. For years this was her schedule, her life, until one day on her way to work she just kept driving and never looked back. Inque went on a journey that she never dreamed she would go on, she traveled the country doing all of things she always wanted to do, Modeling, acting, dancing, singing and everything else, but it wasn't enough, and she wanted more. She needed an adrenaline rush, she needed to live her life to the fullest, and she was determined to do just that. One of the most powerful forces on the planet is that of the human will and determination. Inque was determined to do something different and it wasn't long before she found herself in the right place with the wrong people, do things that earned her a spot on the FBI and CIA most wanted list. During one of her many adventures Inque found herself the unwitting experiment in a highly unstable mutagen and after being exposed to the mutagen she developed strange powers. Her powers included the ability to shape shift into anything or any size that she desired, the ability to liquefy her self into a puddle of living black goo and of course one her favorites her super strength. Once she had her powers she found the adrenaline rush that she needed and she became a terrorist that would do anything for money. She would do sabotage, she would steal, kill, blow up anything or anyone for the right price, which is what has led her to Neo-Gotham City once again. Inque has worked for several unscrupulous people in the past, but her favorite employer by far was one Derek Powers. Powers has always had a job for her that required her to put her powers to the test and he always paid handsomely for her services, more so than any other client, but recently Powers has been scarce on the jobs and when he does have a job for her its so beneath her skill set that it's laughable. Case in point her most current job….Kill Bruce Wayne. The man was so old that it looked like he would drop at any moment, so when Derek told her to kill him she could do nothing but laugh, but he was serious. So being the money hungry woman that she was, she decided that if Powers really wanted Bruce Wayne dead she would raise her price due to the simplicity of job. She never really expected Power to agree to her price change but sure enough he did and now she has arrived to do her job.

Looking around the private Air Field Inque put her hands on her hips in anger.

"Where the hell is my limo" she said to herself. On cue a black limo pulled into the air field and came to a stop a few feet away from the private Learjet. The window rolled down and the face of Derek Powers peeked out.

"Get in" he said

"Nice to see you too Powers" she said in her sultry voice before walking to the limo and getting inside. Once she was inside the window rolled up and the limo started and drove away.

* * *

**Inside the Limo**

"Ugh, Why is it so hot here….I can barely breathe" said Inque looking at Derek

"I thought you didn't have to breathe" replied Derek

"Only when I transform, as you see me now I need a small amount of Oxygen"

"That's….very interesting"

"What's with the single black glove" she asked pointing to his left hand that had a thick black glove covering it.

"That is none of your concern, but what is your concern is Bruce Wayne" said Derek seriously while narrowing his eyes. Inque smiled a little and leaned back in her seat.

"Boy you really surprised me Powers, you agreeded to my price change and here I thought you were a stubborn man"

"Do not test my patience Inque…normally I would have given this job to someone else if they ever tried to change my price, but considering the speed in which I need this done and the target, I need a…..professional, but make no mistake Don't you ever try to extort money from me again the amount that I give….."

"Blah Blah Blah…save the speech Powers and just wire the money into my account" Inque interrupted. Derek stared at her intensely, and balled up his fist.

"Again with the angry eyes…..I told you save it for one of your underlings, I'm not afraid of you"

"…I'll wire the money to your account when the job is complete" said Derek

"Fine I can accept that….so how do you want it" asked Inque while crossing her legs and looking Derek in his eyes.

"Excuse me"

"How….do you want it" she asked again "Wayne's death. Do you want it public, do you want it private, or do you want me do just walk up behind him and stab him in the heart, do you want me to poison….."

"I get it Inque"

"So"

"I don't really care how you do it, just that it gets done, I need Wayne to be dead and I just need for you make sure it doesn't lead back to me in anyway"

"I can do that…I mean it is my job…..and I think I'll do a public death I haven't scared a crowd in a while….I think it'll be fun…when is Wayne going to make a public appearance"

"Actually he's going to be at the Wayne-Powers mixer Tomorrow night"

"I'll be there" said Inque

"I'm sure that you will, it is after all what I'm paying you for. So where can I drop you off"

"West Gotham, I have a private Condo that I often use whenever I'm in town"

"DRIVER! West Gotham" shouted Derek leaning back in his seat. Feeling the limo make a left turn Inque began to giggle to herself as a plan began to form into her mind on how she was going to Kill Bruce Wayne.

* * *

**The Sea**

A long green submarine broke the surface of the calm ocean water. The submarine came to a stop and a compartment opened and a small satellite dish emerged through the compartment.

* * *

**Inside the Submarine**

"Make the call" came the voice of a Kobra henchman

"Yes sir" replied the Kobra member in charge of communications. The Kobra member began to furiously type into the computer. The screen the two were facing began to flash for a moment until a shrouded figure appeared on screen.

"Lord Kobra"

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN REPORT!"

"S-Sir…W-We encounted a severe setback in retrieving the Nerve gas from Powers"

"WHERE IS ZANDER!" shouted Lord Kobra.

"Sir….During the retrieval we ran into…."

"Ran into What"

"Batman" replied the Henchman.

"Batman" responded Lord Kobra in a tone that said he didn't believe what the henchman was telling him, "Impossible Batman is Dead"

"No Sir he's not…..He showed up at the retrieval point at he unleashed the nerve gas and Zander took a full dose of the nerve gas"

"WHAT!...Is he Alive" asked Lord Kobra leaning forward on his throne.

"Y-Yes….but barely…..ever since it happen we've been hard at work trying to keep him alive…..but…the nerve gas is affecting him in a strange way"

"Strange how"

"Well sir…..the nerve gas is designed to target human DNA…..General Zander was not entirely human to begin with so the gas is reacting to his other DNA quite severely….we believe because he wasn't fully human is the only reason why he's still alive now, but we've run out of resources on the submarine…we need a lab in order to fully understand what has happened to General Zander"

"Where are you now"

"We are just off the coast of Neo-Gotham"

" Make your way back to Neo-Gotham and I'll alert one of the branches to your presence and I'll send you the coordinates"

"Yes sir…thank you…..All hail Lord Kobra" replied the henchman before the communication line went dead.

Once the line was dead the Kobra henchman walked through the submarine and into the medical bay. They both entered the medical bay and went towards a tank that had a figure suspended in a light blue liquid.

"What did Lord Kobra say" asked a henchman from the side.

"We're heading back to Neo-Gotham…..how is General Zander"

"He…is doing well…..exceptionally well, but I need to get him to a real lab so I can fully assess just what the hell that gas did to him"

"Well you got your wish"

As the henchmen were talking Zander even though he was suspended in liquid could hear them speaking. He cracked open one of his red eyes and peered through the glass of the tank, he could hear them speaking but he only had one thought on his mind.

'_Powersssssssssssss_' thought Zander angrily as he balled up his fist.

* * *

**Streets of Neo-Gotham**

Perched on the edge of one of the many high rise buildings that littered Neo-Gotham city sat two figures who wrapped themselves within the shadows. One had on a gray cloak and had on a pair of sophisticated goggles and the other was dressed in a black Karate gi with a red stripe going down the sides.

"Sir, we've been out here for the past six hours and we have found no signs of Kobra and it's getting quite cold, I do believe its time to call it a night" came Yinn's voice from beside Damian Wayne aka The Gray Ghost.

"Well you're right Yinn. We've checked almost all of the places I can think of that Kobra might be, and yet there is still no sign of them, but….but I know there will be" said Damian.

"And how do you know this sir"

"Derek Powers"

"…what are you thinking sir"

"I'm thinking Powers doesn't know who he got into bed with….King Kobra wants that nerve gas, and Powers has it…we keep an eye on Powers"

"And he'll lead us to Kobra…not a bad Plan Master Wayne"

"I know it's a good plan Yinn. I did think of it"

"Ah Sir your Humility knows no bounds" said Yinn sarcastically

"…"

"So, now that you've shared your plan sir, perhaps it's time to…." Yinn started before Damian interrupted him.

"Well we were about to go home Yinn….but then I spotted something…something very interesting" said Damian

"What is it sir"

"See for yourself Yinn" he replied reaching into one of his pouches and pulling out a spare pair of goggles. Yinn took the goggles and put them on and he pressed the button the right side, and then looked into the direction that Damian was looking.

Down below scrabbling across the roof tops of the futuristic Neo-Gotham were several figures dressed in form fitting black and purple armor with a black capes flowing behind them and chasing after them was, newly minted Batman.

"The Knightbreed"

"Yes them too, but I was also referring to Batman" said Damian balling up his fist in anger.

"Well it seems tonight we'll get some action after all sir…sir" started Yinn as he turned to the side but Damian was already gone. Turning back to the roof tops he saw Damian Descending to building rooftop where the Knightbreed were running on, Yinn smirked to himself and took off the goggles. He then put them into the small pouch that was attached to his gi, he took out a small black mask that only covered his eyes and he put it on. Yinn then jumped off of the building and followed after Damian.

* * *

**In the Air: Few Minutes Ago**

The Batmobile zoomed through the night air at break neck speeds searching for any sign of trouble, but so far the night hasn't yielded at trouble…..yet.

"It's a quiet night" said Batman looking through the viewing screen inside the batmobile and at the city.

"A quiet night in Neo-Gotham, no such thing. Be alert McGinnis when anything is at it's quietest that means something is about to happen" came Bruce's replied through the audio link.

"Has anybody ever told you that you are very paranoid"

"….."

"Ah I see you still have no sense of humor"

"….."

"Okay….so…..you still haven't told me who the heck the Gray Ghost is supposed to be"

"…"

"Is he a friend or a potential enemy, or a…" started Batman

"Be quiet and be alert McGinnis" said Bruce curtly

"Hey I'm alert and plus if anything were to happen the Batmobile sensors would….." Batman didn't get a chance to finished because just as he made the statement the Batmobile sensors started to beep.

**BEEP! BEEP! **Went the sensors

"I really hate it when that happens" said Batman pressing the button, "Looks like the silent alarm and the Neo-Gotham reserve bank was tripped, I'm setting course now"

"Remember McGinnis, assess the situation and act accordingly don't go in the guns blazing"

"Yeah I got that lesson last time from the Jokerz…I've learned my lesson" replied Batman as he made the batmobile change directions and head towards the silent alarm.

* * *

**Neo-Gotham Reserve Bank**

Batman fell out of the cloaked Batmobile and he glided down to the medium sized bank. He landed on the roof and he peered through the sky light.

"Switching to thermo mode" he said quietly taking the side of his mask. His vision changed to red and he could see three body temperatures moving around the bank.

'_How many McGinnis" asked Bruce_

"Three…but…..what the hell" whispered Batman as suddenly one of the thermo images of the robbers went cold.

'_What is it' Bruce asked again _

"One of the bodies suddenly went from hot to cold…..uh oh"

* * *

**Bat Cave**

"Uh Oh"

"What is it McGinnis"

"I'm picking up 5 more body signatures….wait a minute they are running out of the bank" said Batman tapping the side of his mask again. His vision returned to normal as he ran to the edge of the bank and peered over to see what was going on.

* * *

**Down Below**

"RUN YOU IDIOT!" shouted a thug to his partner as they ran out of the bank. The two thugs made it down the first few steps when they had to come to a sudden stop. There standing before them were 5 more figures dressed in form fitting black and purple out fits and silver face mask on the lower half of their faces. One of the figures stepped forward and he had on the same outfit but his cape was red.

"Thieves down on your knees, you have entered the Knightbreed territory and you must be punished for your actions" came the deadly voice of the red caped Knightbreed leader. The two thugs looked at the 5 Knightbreed warriors in front of them and then they turned their heads around and saw the other five coming up behind them, making 10 Knightbreed warriors in all.

"W-We're fucked aren't we" whispered one of the thugs

"Yeah….we're fucked" the other thug replied as they both reluctantly stepped forward slightly and then dropped to their knees. The Knightbreed field leader pulled out a long blade and then walked forward and to the thugs.

"You are Criminals. You were attempting to steal money from this bank in order further your selfish needs and we Knightbreed as the guardians of this city will not tolerate such an act. Hold out your arms" the leader said narrowing his eyes. The thugs looked at each other and then slowly extended their arms.

* * *

**On the roof**

"Are you seeing this"

"_I am" _

"What do I do"

"_Remember your training and remember what I said you assess the situation and then act accordingly" replied Bruce_

Batman flicked his right wrist and produced a batarang, and then with his left hand he pressed the side pocket on his utility belt and out rolled 5 round black balls.

* * *

**Down Below**

"For your crimes your punishment is the removal of your hands so you can never steal again…..be gratefully we feeling merciful tonight and leaving you with your lives" said the Knightbreed leader quickly raising the blade in the air, but before he could slice the thieves arms off a batarang flew into view and knocked the blade of his hand.

"The hell" said the leader as he grabbed his hand in pain, but he couldn't think about his hand for too long because suddenly black smoke began to fill the area. The smoke covered the thieves and the rest of the Knightbreed crew from his vision.

"What the hell is going on" asked one of the thugs in fear

"I don't know lets get the hell out of here" said the other one as he jumped to his feet and pulled up his friend. The two thugs tried to run away, but as they got up they both felt something wrap around them and tie them together making them fall to the ground.

The smoke began to clear and the Knightbreed looked around to see what cause all of the smoke. The leader still holding his hand looked at the ground and saw the wrapped up thugs.

"The hell….." he started

"ALL OF YOU GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" came a menacing voice that startled the gathered Knightbreed members.

The leader began to look around for the voice but he didn't have to look far because at that moment Batman uncloaked himself.

"….Who…" he started before he received a powerful blow to the face that lifted him off of his feet and sent him flying back towards his followers.

"Batman" whispered one of the Knightbreed members

"That's Right dreg….and you get once chance to give up this Knightbreed Bullshit, I'm the only one operating in Gotham" he said

"And what makes you think you have what it takes to Protect this city" came the voice of the Knightbreed leader as he slowly stood up and rubbed his jaw.

"I'm Batman remember this is my town"

"You're Batman HA….you're no Batman, Batman died years ago our Empress told us so"

"You're Empress" he replied in a curious tone

"So Batman…..you would stand up for these criminals…they were trying to steal from hard working good citizens….they must be punished"

"No I don't stand up for them and you're right they deserved to be punished and they will, they are going to jail, but they don't deserve to have their arms chopped off, Dreg"

"It is the only way they will learn that Crime will not be tolerated in Gotham….and Vigilantism is a Crime Batman" said the leader is a serious tone

"You're calling me a vigilante when you're out here trying to chop people's arms off"

"We are not vigilante's we are the sanctioned guardians of this city, we are the spirit of Gotham answering the cries of pain from its citizens"

"What you are is insane"

"ENOUGH TALK KNIGHTBREED ATTACK!" the leader shouted. The Knightbreed vigilantes need no further encouraging they charged at Batman.

* * *

**Bat Cave**

"McGinnis there are 10 of them…..divide and conquer"

* * *

**Streets of Neo-Gotham**

Batman side stepped the first strike from the first Knightbreed vigilante, he then grabbed the cape and pulled him into an oncoming kick from one of the nearby Knightbreed members. The kick knocked the first Knightbreed onto the ground, seeing his friend go down because of the kick the second Knightbreed vigilante lost his train of focus, Batman rushed forward and kneed him the face, knocking him down to the ground. Batman landed and rolled away from a strike, he quickly turned and swept the legs from his attacker. Flicking his wrist Batman produced a batarang he threw the batarang at two charging Knightbreed vigilantes. The batarang hit one of them in the face mask making him stop his charge, but the other kept charging and reached into his own belt and pulled out knife and threw it. Batman saw the knife coming a knocked it out of the way with the blades on his forearm. Batman then hopped in the air and spun and kicked the charging Knightbreed member and knocked him to the ground as well. The leader of this band of Knightbreed saw that they were losing and he balled up his fist.

"STOP!" he shouted. On cue every knightbreed immediately stopped what they were doing. Batman rediaded himself for anything as he saw them all stop, he then turned his gaze to the leader, "Well….Batman, it seems you are more formidable than I initially thought, you win this round, but the thing about us is that we learn from our mistakes, it seems you can fight 10 Knightbreed at a time…..let's see how you do against 30, because that's how many of us there will be the next time you cross us…..KNIGHTBREED RETREAT!" he yelled before tossing something on the ground and brilliant flash of bright light filled the area and blinded Batman.

"ARGH!" he shouted covering his eyes

* * *

**Bat Cave **

Bruce shielded his eyes from the bright light coming through the video link in the Batman mask. Once the light settled he turned back to the screen to see the Knightbreed was gone.

"McGinnis go after them" said Bruce

"It case you didn't notice I was blinded I didn't see where they went"

"Use the thermo imaging from the Mask"

* * *

Batman tapped the side of his mask and the lens switched to thermo mode. Batman saw a heat trail leading up. Curling his feet the boots in feet roared to life and he took to the sky.

Batman was flying through Neo-Gotham city when he saw a group of people in black and purple costumes flying through the air, with jet packs on their backs.

"I see them" he said while turning off the thermo mode and flying after them.

'_McGinnis listen to me, you don't need all of them only some of them'_

"What are you talking about old man"

'_I'm talking about playing this smart we have scarce information on these Knightbreed Maniacs, in order to learn more you capture a few of them and then interrogate them…understand_'

"Well I'm open for suggestions" Batman replied as he was quickly gaining on the group

'_In your utility belt 5__th__ pocket from the front, there is a small batarang take it out and throw it as far as you can but when you do pull back_"

"Why"

"_Because that batarang is a contain EMP, those jet packs with stop working and you'll be able to catch them" _

Batman reached into the pocket and the batarang unfolded as he pulled it out of the pocket. Holding up his arm Batman threw the batarang as hard as he could, and then pulled back slightly.

The batarang sailed towards the middle of the group and let out a pulse. Immediately 7 of the Knightbreed vigilantes dropped from the sky and they landed on the roof of a nearby building. The leader of the pack of Knightbreeds turned and saw that most of his group was gone and then he looked up to see Batman following

* * *

"Sir what do we do" asked one the reaming flying Knightbreed

"We get back to the Empress and inform her of tonights events"

"But what about….."

"What about them if they are true Knightbreed they will be able to escape Batman's clutches, if not then they will be avenged" he said turning and flying away.

* * *

The fallen Knightbreed vigilantes, panicked only for a second before they started to scramble across the rooftops trying to get away.

Batman looked down at them from the sky and flew after them. Flying low Batman flicked his wrist and was about to throw the batarang when suddenly two figures crossed his vision. One was wearing a familiar Gray Cloak and the other was a man in a black gi and a black mask.

"What the hell" said Batman as he saw the two descend upon the knightbreed.

The Two wasted no time in capturing the vigilantes and tying them up.

"Whoa" whispered Batman landing on the roof a few feet away from the two and the unconscious Knightbreed, "Thanks. But I had everything until to control"

"We saw that young Sir, but we figured you could use some help anyway" came the reply from the man in the Karate Gi.

"What are you doing out here" asked the Man in the gray cloak

"I was about to ask you the same thing…Gray Ghost right"

"Good Memory Boy…I wonder though is the old man's memory that good as well…..did he tell you who I was"

"…."

"I'll take that as a no"

"Why don't you tell me"

"How about I show you" said the Gray Ghost

"Sir I must…" started Yinn, before the Gray Ghost held up his hand to silence him

"I'm Curious" he said, while stepping forward. Suddenly he charged forward and punched Batman in the stomach.

"ARGH!" he grunted in pain, and doubling over. The Gray Ghost then grabbed the horns and tried to deliver a knee to his face, but Batman got his hands up in time to block the strike, he then broke away from the Gray Ghost and threw a kick, The Gray ghost easily blocked the kick and then swept Batman off of his feet. He then raised his foot and was about to stomp on Batman's sternum, but again Batman blocked the strike and kicked at the Gray Ghost, but he easily stepped out of the way.

"You adapt to a situation well boy, I'll give you that" he said back away slightly

Batman groaned a little to himself as he rose to his feet. He quickly flicked his wrist and threw a quick batarang as his opponent who held up his hand and caught the batarang in his metal gloved hand. He then crushed the batarang and dropped it to the ground.

"Impressive, next time throw two, it'll keep your opponent on his toes"

"Who the hell are you"

"The Gray Ghost"

**WHOOO WHOOO WHOOOO**

"Sir the police are coming"

"I hear them….let's go" he said turning, but before he left his glanced over his shoulder at Batman, "I thought you said no one else would be Batman, but here it is 20 years later and who should I find…..I'm going to give you a chance to do the right thing. Stop this kid from making the biggest mistake of his life…or I will"

The Gray Ghost then turned his head and then ran and jumped off of the building and Yinn followed after him. Batman ran to the side of the building and looked over but the two figures were gone. Batman looked up as he saw the flying police cars coming around the corner. Batman curled his feet and flew away, leaving the knightbreed vigilantes to be picked up by the police.

* * *

**Bat Cave 20 minutes later**

The batmobile flew into the cave and landed in its usual spot. The top hatch slid open and Batman slowly climbed out.

"AUGH man" he groaned rubbing his stomach. He pulled off the mask to reveal the face of Terry McGinnis. He looked around the cave and he saw Bruce sitting with his hands together staring at the screen, which had a picture of the Gray Ghost. Terry slowly made his way over to him.

"So…you ready to tell me who the hell the Gray Ghost is old man" came Terry's voice from beside Bruce.

"….."

"Well"

"He's someone I…..I chased away"

"Chased away…..how did you do that"

"I didn't give him the attention that he needed"

"What did he mean by no one else was supposed to be Batman"

"He was Batman before you"

"What…Who…"Terry started

"You did good tonight Terry, your training is starting to pay off, but you still have a long way to go"

"Thanks, but….."

"Tommorow night there is a Wayne-Powers mixer that I have to attend, and I want you there with me, make sure you are here at 7:00pm, and wearing a suit and tie".

"I don't have a….." he started again before Bruce interrupted him again

"I know you don't which is why I've already taken care of it, go by Bensin's Tailored suits and pick it up, it should be waiting for you"

"Uh…thanks" replied Terry "Wait…Who is….."

"Good bye Terry" Bruce said with finality turning his gaze back to the Bat computer. Terry let out a sigh knowing that he wasn't going to get any answer from Bruce.

"Whatever" he said turning around and heading out of the cave, but not before grabbing a bookbag that contained his street clothes. Bruce glanced out the corner of his eye and watched Terry leave the cave. Once he was sure he was gone he turned his attention back to the screen. He leaned forward and pressed a button on the computer.

"_**I thought you said No one else would be Batman, but here it is 20 years later…"**_

Bruce pressed the button again stopping the video

"Damian" said Bruce to himself leaning back in his chair and putting his hands together in thought.

* * *

**Penthouse Suite **

The Gray ghost and Yinn stealthily entered through the window of their expensive penthouse suite. The Gray Ghost immediately pulled back his hood to reveal the face of Damian Wayne underneath. Damian took a deep breathe and walked towards the refrigerator that was in the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine and began to drink. While he was doing that Yinn watched him carefully as he took off his black mask and sat down on the floor in meditation style.

"Sir, need I remind you that drinking is bad for you"

"If I wanted your opinion I would've asked for it Yinn" replied Damian curtly slamming the bottle on the counter.

"Something troubling you sir"

"You know damn well what's troubling me Yinn, so if you got something to say go ahead and say it" snapped Damian

"Fine, you are an asshole"

"I just wanted to see how good the kid"

"Bullshit, you were trying to send a message to your father"

"Maybe I was, no kid should be prowling the streets at night….especially if that kid is dressing up like Batman"

"Ah now the root of the problem emerges. So you don't think the kid should be Batman, but perhaps someone else" said Yinn looking Damian in the eyes.

Damian straightened up and picked up the bottle of wine again.

"Good night Yinn" said Damian walking towards the master bedroom

"Sir I thought you had moved past this" Yinn called out

"I am past it" Damian replied as the suite door slide shut leaving Yinn in the living room by himself.

"Yeah Right. You haven't moved past anything, still a man upset at his father" said Yinn shaking his head and closing his eyes and beginning to meditate.

* * *

**Next Day: TV **

"_Good Morning Neo-Gotham I'm Tom Monroe and it is another beautiful day in the city, with me always is my co-anchor Kim Brooms, Kim _

_Kim: Thanks Tom and Good Morning Neo-Gotham our top story this morning in rare form the NGCP apprehended several Knightbreed vigilantes, this marks the first time in 3 years that any Knightbreed vigilante has been caught….Tom. _

_Tom: That's right Kim, we tried to get an interview with Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon and get her thoughts on the matter but again she was evasive, however, we were able to get a declaration from one of the visible angry Knightbreed vigilantes…_

_

* * *

_

"_YOU CANT STOP US WE ARE THE KNIGHTBREED WE ARE THE AVENGERS OF INJUSTICE ALL OF THOSE THAT TRY TO STOP US SHALL BE PUT DOWN THAT INCLUDES THE POLICE AND BATMAN!_

_

* * *

_

_Tom: There it is again_

_Kim: What's that Tom_

_Tom: That name….Batman, from what that vigilante said it must mean that he has returned _

_Kim: That is what it seems like Tom, lets just hope Batman can apprehend the rest of the Knightbreed _

_Tom: We can only hope Kim. In other news the annual Wayne-Powers mixer is in full swing tonight and this is significant because this marks the first time in over 20 years that Mr. Wayne himself will be attending. As he said a few weeks ago he is trying to become an active member in his company. _

_Kim: All of those attending will be looking forward to his appearance. More news when we come back…._

_

* * *

_

**That Night: McGinnis Apartment**

"I really hate wearing suits" said Terry looking at himself in the bathroom mirror and trying to tie his tie.

"Oh sweetie you look so handsome in your suit" came the voice of his Mother Mary McGinnis. Mary walked over and turned Terry to face her she undid the giant knot that he tied and began to correctly put the tie on.

"Your father could never tie a tie either" she said while smiling.

"Do….do you still feel sad" asked Terry

"Of course I do. I feel sad everyday, but I don't dwell on his death too much"

"You don't"

"No I don't, because if I do that I'll start thinking about the last thing I said to him, I'll start thinking about how maybe if we didn't separate he wouldn't be dead….I'll start blaming myself and I'll become miserable and I know that's not something your father would want, so you know what I do" she said finishing tying his tie

"What"

"I think about all of the happy times we had together. All of the times he made me laugh and all of the times that we spent together as a family and that gets me through the day"

"….I miss him"

"Terry it'll be okay alright, just try not to think about it so much….okay" she said kissing him on the cheek "Now you need to hurry over to Mr. Wayne's before you're late"

"Yeah, I will" he said. Marry gave him a smile and then left the bathroom leaving him alone. Terry let out a sigh and looked at himself in the mirror, he then straighten his suit and left the bathroom.

* * *

**Wayne-Powers Mixer**

Bruce and Terry walked through the glass doors and into the party. The party was being held on the extremely large roof of a hotel building. High class business men and women were all mingling with each other laughing and drinking champagne.

"I really hate these" whispered Bruce to Terry as he looked around at the crowd

"You and me both, but if you hate it why are we here" he asked glancing at him.

"Keeping an eye on Powers" he replied as they walked around.

"Bruce! So glad you could join us" came the voice of Derek Powers as he walked over to the two, he held out his black gloved hand in a friendly manner and Bruce had no other choice but to shake his hand.

"I told you I'm becoming a more active member in our company" said Bruce as he shook Derek's hand, as they shook Derek started to squeeze Bruce's hand, and Bruce started to squeeze back.

"Quite the grip you've got Powers" said Bruce

"Ooops I'm sorry sometimes I don't know my own strength" he replied letting go of Bruce's hand and then turning to Terry.

"Young Man I do not believe we have met I'm Derek Powers" he said holding out his hand

"My Name is McGinnis" said Terry putting emphasis on his last name "Terry McGinnis I'm the assistant to Mr. Wayne"

"McGinnis any relation to…." He started

"He was my Father" Terry interrupted looking Derek into his eyes.

"Well Young McGinnis I'm sorry for your lose Warren was a valued member of this company it was a shame he was cut down in his prime"

"Yeah it was but don't worry I'm positive whoever is responsible for his death will be brought to justice…..swiftly"

"…..I'm sure" replied Derek looking Terry in his eyes, He then glanced between him and then Bruce. Derek put on a smile and then straightened his suit "Like I said glad you could join us…..please excuse me" he said walking away from the two.

"I really hate that guy" said Terry watching him leave

"Join the club" replied Bruce

* * *

Derek walked away from Terry and Bruce as fast as he could, because he could feel his anger begin to rise. He was angry every moment that Bruce took in a breathe of air, he wanted him dead and he wanted him dead now.

_'Where the hell are you Inque' _he thought angrily to himself as he tried to leave the party, but before he could exit an older woman came up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Mr. Powers I'm glad I caught you"

"Mrs. Dublin Hi how are you I'm afraid you caught me at the wrong time I must be on my way" Derek replied quickly

"I know I know but before you left I wanted you to meet someone he is too charming and he's been wanting to meet you since he arrived" she said dragging him along.

"Mrs. Dublin"

"Oh Hush now it will only take a second" she said as she continued to drag him along. Mrs. Dublin dragged Derek over to a small crowd where a man in a black suit was telling a joke.

"Then I said Of course not" the man laughed causing everyone in the group to laugh.

"Mr. Malone!" Mrs. Dublin called out, the man turned around and saw her with Derek and he walked over

"Ah Mrs. Dublin"

"Mr. Malone allow me to introduce you to Derek Powers" she said while backing away.

"Mr. Powers a pleasure to meet you" said Mr. Malone holding out his hand.

"A Pleasure Mr. Malone"

"Please call me Thomas"

"Okay Thomas I understand you wanted to meet me"

"I just wanted to talk to the man in charge of this Company"

"And why is that"

"Because I just wanted to see the person responsible for polluting half of the Environment off the cost of South America. You see I'm an environmentalist and I've recently discovered that Wayne-Powers is responsible for improper Hazardous waste disposal"

"Well Mr. Malone….Thomas. I have no idea what you're talking about"

"I figured as much which is why I'm bringing it to your attention now. Perhaps I can meet with you at a later date to discuss it more"

"Yeah you do that, just call my secretary and set a meeting" said Derek quickly before turning around, but as he turned though he bumped into a man of Asian descent, in a black suit.

"Excuse me" said Derek before continuing on his way.

"No the fault was mine" he said bowing slightly, and watching Derek walk away. The Asian man went to go stand by Thomas Malone.

"Did you get it Yinn" whispered Mr. Malone

"Of course I did Master Wayne" Yinn whispered back quickly passing Derek Power's wallet to him.

"Perfect Yinn, now lets get out of here before we run into my Father" he whispered, but right before he was able to walk away Yinn's hand shot out and grabbed his arm tightly.

"Yinn what is it" asked Damian seriously.

"Look over my shoulder at the podium across the room and tell me what you see" Yinn said in a low tone. Damian directed his eyes to the podium and began to inspect it visually.

"I don't see…wait a minute….no" he whispered

"Yes sir….the podium"

"Yeah I see it….the shadow…..its facing the wrong way"

"Now what or who could cause a phenomenon such as that" said Yinn looking Damian in the eyes.

"Inque" they both whispered to each other at the same time.

"What the hell is she doing here" asked Yinn

"I don't know but wherever she goes Yanng is not too far behind" replied Damian

"No my brother isn't here, because if he was he would've spotted me already and the two of us would be fighting, so she must be here by herself, but the question though is why"

"I'll be sure to ask when I'm scrapping her off of my boot" said Damian

"Sir we are trapped we can't get out of here she'll spot us or me rather and if she sees me with you she'll know who you are"

"I know I'm thinking of a plan now" said Damian. Damian suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a cell phone. He flipped it open to reveal a small key board and he began to type into the keyboard.

"Be ready to move" he said

"Yes Master Wayne"

Damian was furiously typing into the keyboard until suddenly he stopped and then looked up at the lights that illuminated the room. The lights started to flicker until they shut off for a second. Just as the light cut off they cut back on, but Damian and Yinn had vanished.

* * *

"What the hell was that" said Terry looking up at the lights. Bruce furrowed his brows for a second while looking up at the lights as well.

"Be alert….something doesn't feel right" said Bruce as he actively began to search with his eyes for something anything that was out of place.

**CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! **Went the sound of people clapping. Bruce and Terry looked up to see Derek going towards the podium. He tapped the mic getting a little feedback and then he addressed the crowd.

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to the annual Wayne- Powers Mixer, I of course am your host Derek Powers, but allow me to introduce the other host of tonight's little party, Bruce Wayne" said Derek as he started to clap. Bruce gave a grunt and began to walk to the podium when suddenly a long black shadow sprung up from behind Derek and splashed a few feet away from Bruce. The thick black goo on the ground began to form into a being that was 6'2, all black but there wasn't any face just a big white circle.

"Wayne time to die" came Inque's voice as one of her arms turned into sharp black dagger. She thrust her arm forward trying to skewer Bruce.

"GET DOWN!" shouted Terry as tackled Bruce to the ground just in the nick of time.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH RUN!" the people yelled out and started run around wildly.

"Damn Kid" Inque growled to herself raising her arm and changing it into a black mallet. She had every intention of crushing both Bruce and Terry.

"INQUE!" a voice yelled out. Inque looked up to see The Gray Ghost descending. As he descended he tossed four black throwing stars that imbedded themselves into her body, they each gave a beep before exploding, and sending chunks of black goo everywhere

"AHHHHHHH" she yelled out in pain.

* * *

"Are you alright" asked Terry

"Go to Work" Bruce replied as he looked up and saw The Gray Ghost land. Terry nodded his head and got up and rushed off to change into Batman.

* * *

"Remember me Inque" growled the Gray Ghost. Inque quickly pulled herself together and glanced at her attacker.

"You again…..I thought…I killed you" she

"You thought wrong" he replied throwing more stars at her. Inque dodged the stars and liquefied herself and slithered across the ground towards the Gray Ghost. A long black dagger shot out from the goo at her opponent but he dodged it by jumping, but while he was in the air several tentacles shot out and tried to grab him. One of the tentacles grabbed his foot and swung him around and threw him across the roof and into the buffet table.

"HA!" she shouted out reforming into her battle mode, but while she celebrated she didn't hear a small beep until the last second.

**BOOM! **Went the bomb blowing Inque apart again.

The Gray Ghost pushed himself to his feet and frantically searched for Inque. As he was searching his eyes landed on Bruce who as rising to his feet. The two Wayne's looked at each other despite the fact that Damian's face was under the hood.

"WATCH OUT!" yelled a voice. Damian turned and saw Inque charging he stepped to the side and avoided being skewered. Inque shifted her body and with her other hand wrapped around The Gray Ghost, but as she wrapped her arm around him she was tackled from the side by Batman who flew in quickly. Inque, Batman and Gray Ghost went tumbling across the rooftop.

The Gray Ghost pulled out a small device from one of his pouches. He pressed the button and produced a thin red laser and sliced Inque's arm off separating himself from her.

"ARGH!" she shouted in pain, growling she kicked Batman off of her and slithered away.

Batman rolled to his feet and saw her crawl to the edge of the roof. He saw her stand up and then hunch over. Inque grunted and then a new arm sprang out from her body. Batman flicked his wrist and produced a batarang and he threw it at Inque. The batarang imbedded itself into her body, but it didn't hurt her, she looked down at the batarang and pulled into from her body. He then turned to Bruce and threw it at him.

"NO!" shouted Batman.

Bruce saw the batarang coming, but before it reached him the Gray Ghost tackled him out of the way, but the batarang struck his arm. Inque then jumped off of the building. Batman seeing Bruce was safe curled his feet, spread his wings and flew after the descending Inque.

* * *

"…." Bruce didn't say anything as he looked at the Gray Ghost.

"Hmph…not even a thank you"

"Would you like one"

"No" he said standing up and pulling out the batarang that stuck in his arm.

"Da….." started Bruce

"Save it, I have to go save Batman from getting himself killed" replied the Gray Ghost running to the edge and jumping off.

* * *

Batman propelled himself faster through the air until he caught up with Inque. He tackled her again and then pulled up. The two went crashing through the window of a building and tumbling across the ground, with Batman on top of her.

"What the hell are you" he growled.

"Your worst nightmare" she replied turning into a big puddle of goo and wrapping around his entire body. Batman struggled but the more he struggled the faster she encased him. Soon Inque covered Batman's entire body. Batman while encased curled his feet making the rockets roar to life and propel him upwards slamming both of them into the ceiling hard. Inque threw Batman out of her body and to the ground. She then ran and jumped out of the broken window continuing her descent.

Batman slowly rose to his feet and rushed to the window, but as he got to the window he saw the Gray Ghost diving by after Inque.

* * *

Inque landed on a roof and began to run as fast as she could, and just as she was about to jump to the next building The Gray Ghost landed in front of her and threw a kick. The kick harmlessly imbedded itself into her body, but then suddenly electrical shocks began to coarse through her body.

"AHHHHHH!" she yelled in pain. While the shocks were going through her body she formed a small mallet and swung and hit the Gray Ghost knocking him away. Inque fell to her knees out of breathe. The Gray Ghost quickly rolled to hit feet and turned to face her.

"I've learned since our last Battle Inque"

"I-I….s-see" she replied out of breathe, "But it doesn't matter I'll still kill you and…." she started before a foot slammed into the back of her head, sending her flying across the roof

Batman landed on the ground.

"I'm taking you in"

"Kid what the hell are you doing get out of here she's an Assassin"

"I don't care what she is, I'm taking her in, thanks for the help but I got it from here"

"You stupid…"

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" shouted Inque forming her arm into a tentacle and throwing her arm at Batman and wrapping it around him.

"Let him go Inque…this is between me and you"

"Sure, here you GO!" she shouted slamming Batman into the Gray Ghost, sending them skidding across the roof.

Inque pushed herself to her feet and began to run again. The Gray Ghost shoved Batman off of him and stood; he reached into his pouch and pulled out two throwing stars, and he started running after Inque. Batman stood up as well and was about to run after the two when the Gray Ghost suddenly turned and threw both of the throwing stars. They were connected a very thin wire, that started to wrap around Batman immobilizing him, and making him fall back down.

"GRRRR" he growled struggling "WHAT THE HELL!"

"For your own Good idiot" said the Gray Ghost turning and running after Inque.

"You son of a Bitch" said Batman to himself struggling with the wire. He turned his forearm and used the fins to try and cut the wire. As he rubbed the blade of the fin against the wire he felt it give away and then snap. Batman untangled himself from the wire and threw it away, he then spread his wing and curled his feet and flew after the other combatants.

* * *

"INQUE!" shouted the Gray Ghost. Inque turned and saw him running after her and she smirked to herself, and turned a short corner. The Gray Ghost turned the corner after her but he didn't see her.

"OH NO!" he shouted looking down he saw a moving shadow coming towards him. The shadow sprung up with a large dagger sticking out. The Gray Ghost barely had enough time to jump off of the building and out of the way of certain death. Turning in mid-air he fired a grappling hook that shot through Inque's body and into the wall behind her. She turned her hand into a knife and was about to cut the wire, when she was tackled from behind again by Batman. Inque, Batman, and The Gray Ghost fell off of the building and started plummeting to the ground. The Gray Ghost let go of his grappling hook and grabbed his cloak and it suddenly went stiff and allowed him to glide to the ground safely. Batman kicked Inque away and pulled up, but Inque wasn't so lucky and hit the ground full force.

"Ugh" she groaned.

A few feet away The Gray Ghost landed on the ground and Batman landed on the ground next to him. Gray Ghost pulled out a throwing star that had electric sparks popping out of it,

"Time to pay for your crimes Inque"

"N-No…..p-please" she begged slithering on the ground

"Hey wait what are you doing she's down" said Batman grabbing his wrist

"No she's not she toying with you"

"She just fell 30 stories she's down"

The Gray Ghost kicked Batman in the stomach sending him flying back

"SHE DOWN WHEN I SAY SHE"S DOWN!" shouted Gray Ghost, as he raised his arm and was about to throw the electric star when some wire wrapped around him making him drop the throwing star. He turned and saw the wire was attached to Batman's wrist.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING RELEASE ME NOW BEFORE SHE RECOVERS!"

"I'm Doing this for your own good, she's down…you're trying to kill her"

While they were arguing Inque chose this time to strike she quickly rose up and tried to strike the tied up Gray Ghost, but Batman yanked him out of the way making her miss.

Batman let go of the wire and faced her, she charged at him and he readied himself, at the last second she changed into a puddle and then slithered across the ground and then rose up and wrapped a tentacle around his neck tightly.

"Thank you for saving me" she whispered into his ear as her grip tightened.

"ACK!" gasped Batman

The Gray Ghost finished cutting the wire and grabbed the electric throwing star, but he remembered that Batman was touching Inque so he would get shocked too.

_'Damn it…wait what's that behind_…'

"BATMAN YOUR BOOTS FLY BACKWARDS NOW!"

Batman curled his feet and was propelled backwards, he and Inque went flying into a fire hydrant knocking it over and spraying water all over Inque.

"ARGH! WATER!" she shouted as she felt herself begin to break apart. Inque fell to the ground and felt her body start to wash away.

"T-This….isn't….over….I-I'll kill the both of y-you" she struggled to say as she washed away into a storm drain.

Batman rubbed his neck in pain as he saw her wash away.

"I-Is…..s-she….." he started to ask

"No she's not…..she'll be back" The Gray Ghost interrupted, he then walked forward and grabbed Batman by the front of his suit, "AND IT"S BECAUSE OF YOU…DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THAT WAS THAT WAS INQUE AN INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST THAT HAS KILLED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND YOU LET HER GET AWAY!"

"I didn't let her get away I stopped you from killing her"

"OH GROW UP!" he shouted "She is a Terrorist, she kills people for money….innocent civilians. Listen to me and listen good there are some people on this earth that deserve to die and she was one of them" growled the Gray Ghost

"There is another way"

"No, there isn't…..not with people like her" he said dropping Batman, "And if you don't believe me ask Bruce about the original Joker, knowing what he knows now, ask him if he could do it all over again, ask would he have killed him"

The Gray Ghost then turned around and fired a grappling hook that took him upwards and away from the scene. Batman still rubbing his neck followed the Gray Ghost with his eyes as he vanished.

"What the hell is that guy's problem" he said to himself as he spread his wings curled his feet and flew away into the night.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey Readers it's me back with the closing comments. I hope everyone enjoyed the latest chapter in the Batman Beyond universe and the fight scene between, Inque, Gray Ghost and Batman, because these three will meet again at some point down the line. So having said that I hope all of you readers out there review and tune back in next time for the next installment, so this is Nomad88 saying until next time…..**

**Ps: If you haven't read the latest Chapter of my Amazing Spider-man story, remember to go over and check that story out and leave a review I would be highly appreciative, thanks….until next time…**

**Next up: City of Jokerz **


	9. City of Jokerz

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT I repeat DO NOT own these characters in fact ALL CREDIT goes directly to DC. DC owns these characters I do not, I'm not making any money off of this story I can assure you and I can promise you that no money is being exchanged, So I ask with complete sincerity that you find it in your heart NOT TO SUE ME…thanks **

**Hello All and welcome back to another installment in the Batman Beyond Universe I hope everyone is enjoy this tale I'm weaving and I hope that you all enjoy it enough to Read. Review (Feedback is GOLDEN!) and most importantly Enjoy…**

* * *

**Chapter 9: City of Jokerz **

**Outskirts of Neo-Gotham City**

Terminal checked his watch again as he and his inner circle of Jokerz, which included: Chucko, Ghoul, Bonk, the Dee Dee twins and lastly Woof, were waiting in the deserted desert on the outskirts of Neo-Gotham for a person that Terminal has dubbed his supplier.

"Dee Dee" started Delia

"Yes Dee Dee" asked Deidre

"I'M FUCKING BORED!" Delia shouted kicking up some dirt with her boot.

"I know Dee Dee so am I, but don't talk to me about it, ask our fearless leader" she responded pointing to Terminal who stood stock still staring out into the desert waiting patiently.

"Terminal why are we out her again" asked Delia going towards him

"Delia Shut up" he responded

"Please" Chucko chimed in leaning against his motorcycle.

"Hey Fuck you Chucko, maybe you're okay standing out here in the desert, but I'm not what if Dee Dee and I had dates"

"Who would want to date you two psychos" came Ghouls' voice

"I don't know I wouldn't mind taking the two of them for a test drive" said Bonk grinning and looking between the sisters.

"As if you disgusting pig" said Deidre

"Bonk…there is not enough liquor in the world, matter of fact not enough liquor in the solar system, so whatever is going on in that sick twisted mind of yours you can forget it" said Delia. As they were talking Woof suddenly perked up and looked into the distance and his sudden alertness was not missed. Terminal eyed him out of the corner of his eye and looked into the direction he was looking and he could make out a small speck in the sky.

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" he shouted pulling out a gun, "Our guest are here, get ready"

"Are we expecting trouble" asked Ghoul as he pulled out his own gun and prepared himself.

"We're jokerz we always expect trouble" said Bonk looking into the sky and seeing a flying delivery truck heading their way.

The deliver truck flew towards their location and came to stop, the truck then started to turn until the back of the truck was facing the awaiting Jokerz. The delivery truck gentle lowered to the ground and the engines turned off. The driver's side door opened and a man stepped out of the truck. This man's name was Jackson Chappell and he stood at 5'10 with brown hair, blue eyes and pale complexion. Jackson looked to be in his late twenties and had a slim non imposing build; he was wearing a white shirt and black pants and shoes. Jackson walked away form the delivery truck and towards the Jokerz.

"You're late Chappell" came Terminal's icy tone

"So" he replied unafraid. Terminal walked forward and grabbed Jackson by the front of his shirt and rammed his back into the back of the delivery truck and he pointed the gun at his head

"So when someone tells me a time I expect them to be there not to keep me waiting like I'm some fucking afterthought" growled Terminal all the while pressing the gun to Jackson's head. Suddenly the back of the truck rolled up and revealed the insides of the delivery truck. Inside the truck was another man who stepped out and landed on the ground with thud. The man was tall about 6'3 towering over Terminal and Chappell, he had a massive broad shoulder frame that suggested that he worked out heavily. The man had on a black body suit but the thing that drew attention was the mask he had on his face; it was a black and white mask that looked like something a wrestler would wear over their face.

"Hubba Hubba" said the Dee Dee twins at the same time looking at the massive man before them.

The man turned to Terminal and looked at him

"Is there a problem Jackson" came the man's deep baritone and heavily Hispanic accented voice.

"I don't know Bane…there might be" replied Jackson, "Terminal do we have a problem"

"We do actually" he said still holding Jackson. Bane took one step forward until he was inches away from the two and he stared Terminal in his eyes

"Release him now" said Bane

"If I don't"

"Then I'm afraid that our business will be concluded Terminal and your Knightbreed problem will continue to be a thorn in your side" replied Bane leaning down slightly.

Terminal looked at Bane with narrowed eyes until he ultimately let Jackson go, who shoved Terminal away from him and then straightened his clothes.

"You've made the right decision Terminal and I admire your….. aggressive nature" said Bane

"Yeah well I don't" Jackson interjected going to the back of the truck and then going inside the truck.

"You're late; I don't like to be kept waiting"

"Neither do I but Terminal, there is something that I learned long ago…Patience is the key to any ambitious endeavor…you do well to remember that" said Bane with a smirk.

"OOOH Smart and Sexy, I like him Dee Dee"

"So Do I Dee Dee"

"Will the Two of you shut up" snapped Ghoul

"What Jealous" the twins replied at the same time.

"I believe you have something that belongs to us" said Terminal looking at Bane

"Ah yes the slappers, we have your order in the back, but before I hand them over do you have our money" asked Bane

"Yeah I got….BONK GIVE IT TO EM!" shouted Terminal taking a step back.

Bonk pulled out a bazooka from behind his back and he pulled the trigger. Several thick silver wires shot out and wrapped around Bane's massive frame.

"What the hell" shouted Jackson looking out of the truck.

Deidre aimed her gun and pulled the trigger and a stream of electricity shot out and hit Jackson in the chest delivering a large shock to his body. Once the electricity died down he fell out of the truck and onto the desert floor.

"WHOOOO HOOO WORKED LIKE A CHARM!" yelled Chucko as he and the rest of the Jokerz rushed to the delivery truck. Once they were in the truck they saw dozens of boxes. Ghoul grabbed one of the boxes and produced a knife and sliced open the top. He looked inside and he saw the slapper patches.

"TERMINAL WE'RE GOOD!" he shouted. Chucko jumped out of the truck and he closed the back and then bent down to the still stunned Jackson and searched his pockets for the keys. Taking the keys he ran around to the driver's side and got in and started up the truck.

"Terminal let's go"

Bane stood rooted in his spot with the bonds tightly wrapped around his body, he looked at the truck and then at Jackson who was starting to recover and then his eyes landed on Terminal who aimed his gun at him.

"You're right Bane patience is key to any successful plan but so is proper planning"

"Do you know who you betray boy" asked Bane calmly

"TERMINAL LET'S GO!"

Terminal lowered his weapon and he ran to the truck. He jumped inside as the truck began to lift into the air and fly off. Bane watched the truck fly away and he began to laugh to himself. Jackson started to slowly rise to his feet but he was still swaying slightly. He turned to Bane who was laughing loudly and he growled to himself in his throat.

"W-What…..The Hell…..is so funny Bane" he asked in pain as he made his way over to his companion. Bane stopped his laughter and then flexed his muscles and snapped his bonds with ease. Jackson's eyes widen at how easy he freed himself.

"WHY DIDN"T YOU DO THAT EARLIER! THOSE ASSHOLES MADE OFF WITH OUR ENTIRE STASH!" he shouted

Bane looked to the sky again and then back at Jackson and he smirked

"Yes…..they did"

Jackson looked at Bane and at how calm he was and then he was hit with a sudden realization.

"….You planned for that to happen"

"Yes I did Jackson; I wanted them to take that truck full of the slappers"

"Why"

"Because it's part of my plan" replied Bane

"What Plan"

"To attract a….worthy opponent" said Bane with a smile while pressing a button on the belt of his outfit. A small vehicle descend from the sky and landed on the ground in front of the pair. Bane walked to the vehicle and he got in, Jackson followed and he got into the vehicle as well. The vehicle then rose into the air and flew away into the night sky.

* * *

**Next Day: Hamilton University**

"MR. McGINNIS!"

"H-Huh…..what…." stuttered Terry as he woke up from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and saw that everyone in the class was looking at him and the Teacher had her eyes narrowed looking at him.

"If you're going to sleep in my class I suggest you do it more quietly, your snoring is distracting the rest of the class" she said

"I'm sorry…..I had a long night" he replied

"That sounds like a personal problem, and you do well to remember to leave your personal problems at the door. You're here to learn"

"Yes Ma'am" he replied picking up his notebook from off of the ground and taking out his pen and coping down the notes the Teacher was writing.

* * *

**10minutes later**

Terry McGinnis stepped out of the Math Building and into the bright and sunny afternoon that illuminated Hamilton University's Main Quad. Students upon students once again littered the quad doing various things and enjoying themselves. Terry walked down the steps and he turned to the right heading in the direction of the Cafeteria.

Entering the cafeteria he went and got himself some lunch. Just as he was leaving the line after paying for his lunch he felt someone grab him and spin him around.

"MAX!" shouted Terry in shock, "What the hell"

"I should be asking you that"

"Why"

"Where have you been….Is this the first day you've gone to class?"

"Maybe"

"Same ol Terry"

"I've been a bit busy"

"Yeah I hadn't notice" she replied sarcastically, "Come on my table is this way"

Max led Terry over to her table where Blade, Dana, and Nelson were already sitting and talking amongst themselves.

"Hey Guys look whose here"

"Hey Terry" said Blade biting her lip slightly and smiling

"Hey Blade" said Terry.

"McGinnis"

"Nelson"

"I think I'm late for…."started Dana getting up

"SIT DOWN!" shouted Max, "You're class isn't for another Hour Dana…..you sit too Terry" she said without any room for discussion. Dana let out a breathe and then sat back down. Terry looked at serious expression on Max's face and he let out a breathe and then he sat down at the table.

"Good the whole group is here" said Max sitting down as well. The five College students sat there at the table quietly eyes darting back and forth between each other, no one knowing anything to say.

"Come on Guys…..talk….this shouldn't be this awkward we used to be the best of friends" Max said.

"Speak for yourself Gibson, I was never friends with McGinnis" Nelson snapped

"Yeah you made that abundantly clear when you lied to Dana" Terry snapped back

"The eyes don't lie McGinnis"

"GUYS STOP!" Shouted Max, "This is not what I meant by talk….." she started before Dana got up.

"Dana Wait!" yelled Terry, but his words went unheard as she made her way out of the cafeteria. Terry turned his gaze back to Nelson, "This is all your fault you son of a Bitch"

"Hey don't blame me for your infidelity McGinnis"

"Can you even spell infidelity Nelson and I didn't cheat on Dana you ass, and you don't even know what you saw"

"I saw you and that Melanie chick goin at it"

"SHUT UP!" growled Terry standing up, but as he stood up Nelson stood up as well

"Make me McGinnis…..it's high time we settled things"

"BOTH OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF!" yelled Max "I'm getting real tired of this pissing contest between the two of you…what is it going to take for the two of you to end this"

"I think a bare knuckled brawl is order" came Blade's voice

"NOT HELPING BLADE!" shouted Max

Terry gritted his teeth and then turned away from the table and walked away.

"TERRY!, GODDAMN IT NELSON, Why do you have to be such an Asshole"

"Max forget about it, the two of us will never be friends…there's just too much bad blood between us" said Nelson sitting back down and digging into his lunch. Max let out a sigh and then turned her head in the direction that Terry left.

* * *

Terry stormed out of the cafeteria not caring where he was going, but as long as it was far away from Nelson, because he knew that if spent any second longer at the table he would've beaten him within an inch of his life.

'GODDAMN THAT SON OF…..' he started to think before he looked up and he saw Dana sitting on a bench in front of the University's fountain. Terry looked at her and then he let out a sigh.

'No…..this isn't Nelson's fault it's mine…..If…..Melanie…..'

While Terry was there thinking Dana turned and saw him standing there, but she didn't make any attempt to move or run away. Terry slowly started to walk over to her until he stood by the bench.

"Hey"

"…..Hey"

Terry sat down on the bench and he ran his hand through his hair.

"Okay look Dana…..I know there is really nothing I can say to you that will make you hate me less, but I'm going to try anyway…..okay look…..Melanie and I only kissed, but she kissed me…..and it wasn't how Nelson described it as….it…."

"Why did you kiss her back, why didn't you break apart or something…" asked Dana rubbing her eye

"I-I don't know….I was caught up in the moment…..and….and…..look I'm sorry, I never wanted to hurt you I…"

"You said that you loved me"

"And I meant it when I said it….I do…."

"You don't that to people you love…..Terry…..you don't get caught up in the moment"

"…"

"I gave you your chance to explain and you did" she said standing up, she turned around and was about to walk away when Terry, jumped up and walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Dana….I do love you….I do…and I know that we can't go back to the way things where, but…..I was hoping that maybe….we could try"

Dana looked him in the eyes and she saw the pleading look that he had and she had to avert her gaze because she fell for his puppy dog eyes. Dana gently knocked his hands away from her and slowly walked away from him, but before she left, she stopped

"Maybe…" she said softly, but loud enough so that he could hear and then she continued on to her class, leaving Terry standing there by himself.

* * *

"She said maybe…she sai….." Terry started before he was tackled to the ground. He tumbled across the grass and he felt his attacker wrap an arm around his throat tightly.

"You don't listen do you" the person growled, applying more pressure. Terry began to see spots slightly but while he was struggling his Batman instincts kicked in immediately. He used every ounce of strength he could muster and rolled over. Terry then took his elbow and began to drive it into his attacker's side as hard as he could on the last blow he thought he heard a slight crack but he did hear a loud groan and he felt his attacker let him go, and he quickly rolled away and rolled to his feet. He saw that his attacker had on a mask so he couldn't make out who it was.

"WHO ARE YOU!" growled Terry

His attacker stood up despite the pain in his side and he faced Terry. The two circled each other, before Terry charged in with a flying kick, his opponent ducked and then turned and threw a punch, Terry blocked the punch and responded with his own punch that connected to the person's chin making him stumbled back. Terry rushed in again but his attacker quickly lifted his foot and kicked Terry in the mouth and the grabbed him and kneed him in the stomach. Terry grunted but he didn't stop, he brought his head up and head butted him in the nose drawing blood and then he kicked him in the chest. The two back away from each other to catch their breathe for a second.

"You're good McGinnis" his attacker said spitting on the ground

"Well you know who I am…..so isn't fair that I know who you are"

"That's not how the game works"

"So this is a game" replied Terry

"No…..this was a warning" his attacker growled

"Some warning"

"Next time…"

"No there won't be a next time" growled Terry rushing forward and tackling his attacker. Terry landed on him and proceeded to punch him in the face as hard as he could. His attacker grabbed a handful of dirt and then shoved it in Terry's eyes blinding him.

"DAMN IT!" shouted Terry feeling the grains of dirt fill his eyes. He tried his best to rub it out, but his attacker took the advantage and hit him in the neck and then punched him in the jaw, knocking him off of him. His attacker grabbing his throbbing side stood up and started to run away. Terry on the ground rubbing his eyes knocked enough dirt out to see his attacker start to run. He slowly got to his feet and began to run after him.

The attacker looked behind him and saw Terry gaining, he reached into his pocket and he pulled out a pocket sized square box. He opened the box and inside was a circular disk with a red button in the center. The attacker pulled out the disk to reveal a strap attached to it, he strapped the disk to his middle finger and then he looked up. The attacker saw that another fountain was up ahead, and then he looked behind him again and saw Terry was gaining on him even faster now. The attacker ran to the fountain and he hopped the edge into the water and ran through it and then hopped out the other side. He stopped and quickly turned just when Terry hopped over the edge. The attacker slammed his hand on the edge of the fountain pressing the red button which released an electric shock that traveled through the fountain and through the water shocking Terry.

"ARGH!" shouted Terry feeling the shock. The shock didn't last long as the disk ran out of juice but it was enough to stun Terry and make him fall out of the fountain and onto the ground convulsing slightly. The attacker then turned and ran away. Terry cracked open his eye and saw his attacker run away.

"D-Damn…..i-it" he stuttered still convulsing slightly.

* * *

**Few Blocks Away**

The attacker came to a stop in an alley and he leaned against the wall catching his breathe. The attacker reached up and grabbed the mask and took it off to reveal the face of Carter Wilson aka Terminal.

"Damn that son of a Bitch" growled Carter grabbing his side. He threw his mask to the ground and began to limp out of the alley. He looked at the street signs around the alley and saw that he was a few blocks away from his old house. He growled a little in his throat at the thought of going to his house and dealing with his mother, but he needed to rest for a moment and get fixed up, so he reluctantly headed for his house.

* * *

**Carter's House**

Carter stumbled into his old house and the first thing he noticed was the rotten egg smell that littered the house. He looked around and saw that the kitchen had trash everywhere and empty booze bottles. Carter narrowed his eyes in disgust and closed the door behind himself and ventured further into the house.

Carter walked into the living room and he saw his mother asleep on the couch and he growled to himself at the sight of her. Ever since he was little after his father left it had been him and his mother and after the first year of being with her he ran away. His Mother would always berate him and demean him, so one day he had enough and he ran away and never looked back, it was also around this time that he ran into a young up and coming Victor Tuelio and the rest was history.

Carter looked at her and balled his fist in anger. Silently he passed by her and went to the bathroom. He turned on the facet and got some water and splashed it on his face trying to wash away the dried blood on his nose from when Terry head butted him. He grabbed a towel and started wiping his face.

"Seems he's a better fighter than I thought…..too bad he's gonna be dead soon, I could've used a fighter like him" Carter said to himself throwing the towel down. He then grabbed his shirt and lifted it slightly. There was a large black and blue bruise forming on his side. He gently felt the area and he let out a sigh in frustration

"Nothing is broken, but definitely bruised…..good….I should still be able to lead tonight's attack"

**POW!** Went the sound of a gun. Carter ducked when he heard the shot.

**POW!** The bullet from the gun ripped through the bathroom door and hit the light in the bathroom.

"WHO THE HELL IS IN THERE!" shouted a voice

"WHO ELSE WOULD WANT TO COME INTO THIS RAT INFESTED HOUSE!"

"C-Carter"

"Yeah Mom it's me" replied Carter angrily opening the bathroom door. His mother looked at him, but she didn't lower her gun, "Are you happy to see your son"

"My son died years ago, when he ran away from his loving mother"

"Loving mother…..what fantasy world are you living in you were and always will be a horrible mother"

"Get out"

Carter smirked at her and then cautiously walked out of the bathroom and passed her and he went for the door.

"IF I ever see you again I will kill you" said his mother threateningly

Carter glanced at her over his shoulder at her

"The same goes to you Mom" said Carter before leaving the house and slamming the door behind him.

* * *

**Durlan's Toy Factory**

The Jokerz were once again lounging around in the toy factory partying and drinking, but while the majority of the Jokerz doing that the ones in charge were in the office waiting for Terminal to arrive.

* * *

**In the office**

Bonk was pacing the floor up and down looking at the stacks of boxes that they had stolen from Bane the night before.

"I want one those fucking patches" he said as he continued to pace. Delia and Deidre rolled their eyes at the same time.

"Well then take one and shut up" replied Ghoul who was laying on the couch

"Bonk is afraid of Terminal or what he might do" laughed Chucko

"SHUT UP!" Bonk shouted "I ain't afraid of Ter…" he started before the door was kicked open

Carter walked inside and everyone could see that he was visibly upset and he looked beaten up.

"Whoa…..what happened to you" asked Ghoul looking at him with wide eyes

Carter didn't say anything, he continued to walk towards the desk that he usually sat at and he opened the top drawer and he pulled out a mirror, and white and black face paint. The rest of the Jokerz in the office silent watched as he opened the face paint and he started to paint his face white like theirs and he put the black around his eyes and his mouth, completing his look and firmly establishing his Terminal Persona. Terminal put the mirror and the paint down and then he eyed: Chucko, Ghoul, Bonk, Woof, and the Dee Dee Twins

"What is it that all of you want most in the world" he asked, giving them all a hard stare.

"What" asked Bonk looking at him

"I said what is it that you all want most in the world"

"To have fun" said Ghoul

"Flocks of women and Power" said Bonk

"Our own shopping Mall" said Delia and Deidre

"Money" said Chucko

"AWOOOOO" howled Woof.

Terminal smirked at their answers

"What about you Terminal" asked Bonk. Terminal straightened up and he walked from around the desk.

"Bonk I've always dreamed of having my own city….more specifically this city" he said leaning on the front of the desk and looking them, "I don't know why I just do…and Victor and I always discussed taking over this city and splitting it up but he was too afraid…..he thought that we didn't have enough people nor did we have enough power to do such a thing….but he was wrong"

Terminal slowly passed the six of them and then he walked to the boxes that they stole. He ripped open one of them and he reached in and he pulled out one of the patches and he held it up.

"This is what's gonna help us bring what we desire the most"

"What is that thing exactly Terminal" asked Chucko

"This Chucko is concentrated Power…..This patch has the ability to give the wearer the strength of 80 men"

"Give me one" said Bonk immediately

"No these are not for us" Terminal said calmly

"WHAT!" he shouted angrily "Why not…..and if they're not for us then who are they for"

Terminal continued to smirk as he walked to the still broken glass window in the office and he looked outside to the partying Jokerz down below.

"It's for them" said Terminal

"Them….why not us"

Terminal let out a sigh, but then an idea crossed his mind and then he smirked again

"Okay Bonk you want one then you got one, I want you to lead the charge against the Police"

"Charge what charge" asked Deidre

"Tonight we are going to own this city, we are going to kill the Knightbreed, and Batman in one fell swoop because they can not help but stick their nose into our business. I'm going to pass these patches out to every Jokerz member down there and we will simultaneously hit the police and the people of Gotham and once we do that the Knightbreed will react and try to stop us but they'll be over ran and I have no doubt Batman will show up and when he does he'll be in for a surprise as well" finished Terminal facing them with a sick smile on his face "Chucko, Ghoul, Woof, Delia and Deidre I have a job for you"

"What is it"

"I need you all to make a stop at the News station and deliver a message to the people of Gotham"

"What about me" asked Bonk

"Bonk you have the most important job…..Deliver the patches and wait for my command" said Terminal walking towards him and handing him the patch.

* * *

**Bat Cave: Later**

"So any marks or distinguishing features you remember about your attacker" asked Bruce as he typed away into the Bat computer.

"Wasn't really paying attention to that"

"Terry always pay attention to everything. Every single detail, what you think is insignificant might be the biggest clue"

"Thanks….I'll remember that"

"Also, what have I told you about being prepared for anything"

"I wasn't in costume I didn't expect…"

"Just because you weren't in costume doesn't mean you weren't Batman, the man makes the suit McGinnis not the other way around. You chose this life so therefore 24/7 all hours of the day you are Batman, no one should ever get the drop on you"

"Yeah Whatever" Terry responded

"I hope you're prepared for the next time"

"Next time"

"Yes, the next time…from what you've told me the person that attacked you is someone that you know out of costume, perhaps someone you've angered….any ideas" asked Bruce stopping his typing and turning around in his chair to face Terry.

"I got a couple"

"Who"

"Does it really matter, I'll take care of it…what are you working on" asked Terry

"Nothing….go and start your training" Bruce replied turning back around and starting his typing again. Terry shook his head and then dropped his bookbag with his street clothes inside and then walked towards the training platform.

"Program resume last training session"

The platform glowed and an image of the younger Bruce appeared in front of Terry.

"Hello Bruce you have now started the Jujitsu program….."

* * *

**Streets of Neo-Gotham 8:15 pm**

Speeding down the street of Neo-Gotham in a red convertible was Nelson, Blade, Max, and Dana.

"Nelson slow down" said Blade lifting up her shades and looking at him.

"Sorry Babe no can do we're gonna be late for the concert if we don't hurry" he replied Turning a sharp corner.

"Dammit Nelson if you don't slow down you're gonna kill us" said Max

"Relax Max I'm an excellent Driver" he said suddenly stopping at the red light, making them all lean forward and then slam back into their seats.

"Oh yeah great driving" came Dana's sarcastic remark that earned a laugh from Max and Blade. As Max was laughing she turned to the left and she saw a familiar face walking down the street.

"Brian" she said to herself looking at him and Evan walking down the street.

"Hey Nelson pull over for a second" she said

"Are you out of your mind No"

"PULL OVER!" Max shouted seriously giving him a stare that meant she wasn't playing with him.

"Fine Jeez" he said pulling over to the curb, just as the light turned green. Max jumped out of the car and ran towards Brian and Evan.

* * *

"Do you know why Huntress wants to meet with us" asked Brian

"Your guess is as good as mine….but we better hurry" said Evan as he and Brian entered into Mama Roselli's Dry Cleaners.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's Dry Cleaners**

Brian and Evan walked through the Dry Cleaners but right before they entered the back the front door opened again.

"BRIAN!" shouted Max. Brian turned around and saw Max enter the Dry cleaners but he also saw that the old woman that sits by the door pull out a dagger and was about to stab Max in the back of her neck.

"STOP!" Brain shouted in fear. Max stopped in shock of him yelling, but if she were to turn around she would see that the old woman's dagger was inches away from her neck.

"S-Stop right there I mean, I'm going to come to you" he said quickly walking towards her. The old woman sheathed her dagger and then sat back down still eying Max. Brian grabbed Max's arm and lead her out of the cleaners but not before throwing the old woman a dirty look.

* * *

**Outside**

"Brain what the hell" asked Max in confusion

"Max what are you doing here"

"I saw you on the street and I wanted to say Hi and maybe invite you to this concert I'm going to" she replied looking behind him at the cleaners and seeing the old woman standing in the door smiling at her, "Why is that old woman smiling at me"

Brian turned around and saw the old woman his eyes widen slightly and then he guided Max further away from the cleaners

"That's nice of you Max but I….uh….I have some laundry to do"

"Where are you clothes then?"

"Inside"

"Really I didn't see you walk in with any"

"Again with the curiosity" he asked with a smile

"Personality quirk remember" she replied returning his smile. They both stood there for a second looking at each other.

**HONK!** Went the horn to Nelson's car

"WAIT A MINTUE!" shouted Max turning around

"Friends of yours" Brian asked looking at the convertible a few feet away

"Yeah"

"Max look uh….how would you like to um…."

"Yes I would love to go out on a Date with you" she interrupted

"Good how about Friday…..I'll meet you at…."

"Hamilton University….I know this nice little spot just for the two of Us" said Max

"Great I'll see you then.." Brian replied with a smile.

"See you then" she said back away. Brian was about to turn when he felt Max grab his arm. Brian turned to face her and she crushed her lips to his in a kiss. After a few moments Max broke the kiss and looked at him

"Bye" she whispered backing away and walking towards Nelson's convertible.

"B-Bye" replied Brian smiling at her retreating form. Max jumped in to the car and it sped of down the street.

* * *

"Who was that" asked Blade turning around with a giant smile on her face

"My Future Husband" Max replied dreamily

"So that was the mysterious Brian" said Dana smiling also

* * *

After watching the car speed away Brian went back into the Dry Cleaners where the old Woman blocked his path.

"What the hell was that" he growled at the old woman

"I should be asking you that boy" she replied "you think this a place for you bring one of your playmates….."

"She's not a playmate she's an innocent civilian that you almost killed for no reason"

"Wrong boy…..we can't have any non Knightbreed members in here boy, we have worked too long and too hard to establish this base and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone ruin what the Knightbreed is all about, so you better remember that if that girl ever comes back" she replied before sitting down

"If she does come back and I find out you in anyway harmed her I'll kill you"

"Bigger men than you have tried boy….now go…the Empress is waiting"

"Bitch" Brian said over his shoulder as he turned and made his way over to Evan who was waiting for him.

"Was that the girl you were telling me about?"

"Yeah that was her"

"She's hot…she got a friend" he asked as they both stepped into the elevator.

* * *

**Down Below**

Brian and Evan entered a private chamber and the first thing they saw were several of their Knightbreed brethren kneeled before Huntress who was sitting in her throne.

"You're late" came Vanquish's voice behind them. Brian and Evan turned to him and saw a scowl on his face.

"We're sorry" replied Evan quickly

"It's my fault I had something to take care of"

"Oh really" said The Huntress standing up. She walked towards the two of them "Please do share as to what is more important than being on time to my meeting" she said with a slight edge in her voice, but before Brian could answer they were interrupted by another Knightbreed member running into the private chamber.

"EMPRESS!" the lady Knightbreed shouted.

"What is it"

"You must see this….the Jokerz are….."

But she didn't get a chance to finish, at the mention of the Jokerz Huntress pushed past her and entered into the training chamber where on a large screen on the wall was a news report playing..

* * *

**TV**

_Ghoul: "HEEELLLOOO NEO-GOTHAM!...For those of you tuning in for the usually boring news report I hate to break this to ya, but you've now tuned into Joker VISION! Allow me to introduce myself my name is Ghoul, this is Chucko, Woof, and the Twins and we have message for all of you Law abiding citizens"_

_Dee Dee Twins: The Message is…..GET OUT!" _

_Chucko: You heard the twins folks this is our city now and we want all of you stuffy law and order bastards out_

_Ghoul: As of tonight this is the City of Jokerz and if anyone has a problem with it you can take it up with us in downtown Neo-Gotham…we'll be waiting…..see ya then_

"_AWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOO!" woof howled_

* * *

**Knightbreed Headquarters**

"MY CHILDREN OUR ENEMIES HAVE DECLARED WAR LET THEM KNOW WHO THEY FIGHT!"

KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREED!

"Suit up….time to bring justice to our City" said Vanquish looking at Brian and Evan

* * *

**Police Precinct **

"I WANT EVERY AVAILABLE OFFICER WITH ME RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT TO EVACUATE DOWNTOWN NEO-GOTHAM!" shouted Commissioner Gordon to the officers in the Precinct

"Commissioner do you know how many people are in the downtown area right now" said Detective Montoya Bullock

"We've got no choice Bullock, didn't you hear the Jokerz….they basically declared open war on the Knightbreed it's gonna be a bloodbath and we have to get the civilians out of the crossfire" she said putting her gun into her holster and rushing out of the precinct.

* * *

**Batcave**

"MCGINNIS!" Bruce Shouted

"I'm already Gone" Terry replied putting on his mask and running to the batmobile. Batman hopped into the batmobile and started up the engine and flew out of the cave and into the night sky.

* * *

**Downtown Neo-Gotham**

Dana, Max, Blade and Nelson waited outside in the long line of the Neo- Gotham civic complex to get into the concert.

"Thanks a lot Max" said Nelson

"Shut up Nelson all of the times you and Blade have made us late for stuff I make us late one time" she replied giving him a slight shove.

"Yeah cut her some slack Nelson our little Max has finally found someone" Blade chimed in

"Shut up" she said with a smile

**WHOOOOO WHOOO WHOOOOOO** went the sound of several dozen hovering police cars circling in the air.

"ATTENTION THIS COMMISSIONER GORDON OF THE NGCPD EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATLEY ALL CITIZNES IN THE AREA REPORT TO YOUR HOMES THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY I REPEAT REPORT TO YOUR…

**BOOOOM! **

Barbara turned her head and saw that one of the police cars next to hers exploded in a shower of destruction

"EVASIVE MANEVERS NOW!" she shouted to her driver

* * *

"HOLY SHIT!" yelled Nelson looking at the falling burning cop car, "Did you see that"

"WHOO HOOOOO ONE DOWN!" came a voice. Dana, Max, Blade, and Nelson turned to see a swarm of Jokerz walking down the street and one had a smoking Bazooka in his hands.

"JOKERZ THE CITY IS OURS LET'S TAKE IT!" shouted BONK.

"WHOOO HOOOOO" they all shouted as they ran and started destroying stores, and harming and harassing people.

* * *

**Up in the air**

"All units get down their and stop them" said Barbara over her radio to the officers

"Jeez how many of them are down there" asked Detective Bullock over the radio

"I don't know there looks to be about 60 or so but it doesn't matter we have to get these civilians out of the area first and then we can deal with the Jokerz"

* * *

**On the Ground**

"OOOOOH look here we got ourselves some fine tail here" said one of the Jokerz as he and four of his friends approach Max, Dana, Blade and Nelson.

"Back off you Assholes" said Nelson stepping in front of the girls, "Hey when I tell you guys run okay" he whispered to them

"Uh Oh we got a tough guy….FUN TIME! HAHAHAHAAHA" one shouted rushing Nelson

"RUN!" he shouted getting ready to fight the five jokerz but just as they got near, several arrows rained down and struck all five Jokerz killing them.

"OH MY GOD!" shouted Dana seeing them drop to the ground dead. Suddenly about six men and women in form fitting black costumes, silver mouth guards covering the lower half of their faces and long capes descended on the ground.

"Citizens leave this area now" said Vanquish seriously

"Y-You got it….come on" said Nelson grabbing Blade, Max, and Dana and dragging them along. Max while being dragged turned and looked at one of the Knightbreed characters and they locked eyes for a second until she was dragged around the corner.

"KNIGHTBREED!" shouted Vanquish "JUSTICE NEEDS TO BE DISPENED SHOW NO MERCY!" he shouted charging into a group of oncoming Jokerz

"This is it Dagger"

"I'm right behind you Cloak"

* * *

"POLICE FREEZ!" shouted Detective Bullock aiming her gun, but as she did that two Jokerz ambushed her and jumped on her back making her drop her gun. She elbowed one in the face and managed to kick away the other one, but then three more joined making a total of five Jokerz. Montoya stood up and balled up her fist ready to fight. The Jokerz charged at her but right when they got close smoke filled the area. The Jokerz stopped their charge in confusion but that was all the time Batman needed to drop to the ground and take all five of the Jokerz out. He landed and lashed out with a viscous kick to the stomach that sent one of them flying back, he then punch one knocking him down and then he uppercut another one. Batman then jumped and spun and kicked the last two in the face. The smoked cleared and Detective Montoya got a good look at Batman for the first time.

"Shit you're real"

"Are you alright"

"Of course I am…..I could've taken those punks"

"No Doubt" Batman replied.

'_KRZZZZ BULLOCK GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE KNOW IT'S A WARZONE'_ shouted Barbara over the radio.

"Let's Go" said Batman curling his feet and taking to the sky, with Detective Montoya grabbing her gun and running to the scene.

* * *

Batman flying through the air made his way to the scene and his eyes widen

"Hey old man are you seeing this"

'_Yes' _

Batman looked down and he saw utter chaos everywhere Jokerz fighting cops, cops fighting Jokerz, Knightbreed killing Jokerz, and Cops trying to apprehend the Knightbreed, and fire and smoke was everywhere as well.

"What do I do"

'_Find Commissioner Gordon' _

"Why"

'_Just do it' _

Batman scanned the area and he saw her shooting her weapon at a few of the Knightbreed who had just killed three Jokerz. Commissioner Gordon shot one of the Knightbreed and he fell to the ground. Batman then saw a Knightbreed character with a dark green cape perched on the edge of a building aim his crossbow at her. Batman flicked his wrist and produced a batarang and he threw it.

The batarang sailed through the air and hit the crossbow, making him barely miss Barbara. Barbara looked up and saw the Knightbreed character and she saw Batman. Batman flew in and tackled him off of his perch and they both fell to the ground. Vanquish kicked Batman off of him and then flipped to his feet.

"BATMAN!"

"Who are you?"

"I am Vanquish the bringer of justice" he growled before charging at him. Batman side stepped his attack and responded with a right cross. Vanquish ducked and grabbed his arm and flipped him over and to the ground. Batman lifted his foot and kicked Vanquish in the mouth. Batman rolled to his feet ready to attack when a explosion lit up the sky.

* * *

**Few seconds earlier**

**RING! **Bonk punched the cop in front of him and then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone

"WHAT I'm BUSY"

"Do it now" said Terminal before the phone hung up.

Bonk smiled to himself before he bent down and picked up his bazooka. He aimed it up to the sky and he pulled the trigger. The rocket flew up into the sky and exploded. All of the Jokerz that were still alive and still fighting looked up and they all smirked. Each Joker male and female reached into their pocket and pulled out their patch. They then slapped the patch onto either their neck, arm, or leg and then they all began to go through a transformation. Their muscles began to expand, double and then triple in size and they grew in height by a few inches as well.

* * *

**Batcave**

"Oh My God" whispered Bruce as he saw what was going on

"JOKERZ ATTACK!" shouted the muscle bound Bonk. The new and improved Jokerz stomped the ground shaking it slightly as they charged at their enemies. Bonk swung his massive arm and knocked five police officers away and sent them skidding across the ground. All of the other Jokerz followed suit and swung and batted whoever they were fighting either the Knightbreed or the cops.

* * *

"CLOAK LOOK OUT!" shouted Dagger tackling him to the ground just a Joker tried to punch him. The Joker missed and hit a brick wall leaving a huge dent. Cloak and Dagger rolled along the ground and landed in a crouch. Cloak reached to his belt and pulled out to knives and threw them at the muscle bound Joker and they imbedded into his arm but he didn't even feel it. He growled at them and charged again. Cloak glanced at Dagger who pointed at the charging Jokerz feet. They shook their heads and then charged. They both slid and kicked the Jokerz foot flipping him and making him fall to the ground hard. Once he was on the ground, Cloak pulled out another knife and jumped and stabbed the fallen Joker in the heart. He then stabbed him in the throat killing him.

"I got em he's dead" said Cloak turning to Dagger

"LOOK OUT!" shouted Dagger. Cloak turned and received a powerful blow to the face by another muscle bound Joker. Cloak was lifted off of his feet and sent flying back tumbling across the ground hard. Dagger ran over to him to see if he was still alive.

"Hey are you alright" asked Dagger looking at him, but still focusing his attention on the threat of the Jokerz member, but then two more muscle bound Jokerz showed up

"S-So…..s-strong" he said in pain.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" laughed the Jokerz as they started to charge. Dagger quickly picked up Cloak and hit a button on his belt buckle. Dagger's cape retracted and a jet pack formed and he took to the sky just as the Jokerz tried to punch him.

* * *

Barbara dove out of the way of a car that was thrown by one of the muscle bound Jokerz and she rolled to her feet and let off a few rounds that hit their mark but didn't stop the Jokerz.

"Damn it" she growled to herself, just then Batman rolled next to her avoiding a strike from Vanquish.

"Any Idea's commissioner" Batman asked. Barbara looked at him for a moment, "So you're the new Batman"

"I'm wearing the suit aren't I….now do you have any ideas" he asked

"Not currently….look out" she yelled as the muscle bound Joker she was fighting leaped in the air and sailed towards them. The joker struck the ground with such force that he cracked the ground slightly.

Batman looked at him and then he looked at Vanquish who was fighting another muscle bound Joker. Batman flicked his wrist twice and then a batarang slip out of his wrist he threw it at the Joker and it embedded itself into the Jokerz' arm and let out an electric shock.

"ARGH!" he shouted from the electricity, but he didn't go down. He ripped the batarang out of his arm and then crushed it in his hand.

"Well I'm all out of ideas" Batman said to himself as he saw the Joker smile and stomp towards him, but then something strange happened. The Joker before him stopped and started to spit up blood.

"What the hell" said Batman

The muscle bound joker gave a shudder and then his muscles began to grow more and more, deforming the joker before him

"BATMAN HE'S GONNA BLOW GET AWAY!" shouted Barbara starting to run away. Batman turned and curled his feet. The rockets activated and he flew towards Barbara and grabbed her and flew away just as the Joker Exploded.

**BOOOM! **The force of the blast propelled Batman to the ground tumbling across, but he was able to maneuver his body to shield Barbara from the impact.

"UGH!" he groaned sitting up, "What the hell"

He sat up and looked at the spot where the Jokerz gang member was and all he saw was deep crater and blood splatter everywhere.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **Batman and Barbara turned to the sound of explosions that were coming from all over the downtown area.

"The Jokerz….they're…..they're exploding" said Barbara in shock as two Jokerz nearby by suddenly detonated.

**BABOOOOM! **

KRZZZ "COMMISIONER….WE GOT…." KRZZZZZ went Barbara's radio before she heard another explosion.

* * *

Vanquish jumped to the side just as the Joker he was fighting detonated. The force threw him to the side violently. Vanquish lifted slowly lifted himself up despite the fact that his ears where still ringing. He looked up and saw a few of his Knightbreed brethren get blown away by their own exploding Joker. As he tried to shake the disorientation away he saw someone land in front of him

"D-Dagger"

"Vanquish come on…we have to get out of here" said Dagger grabbing him. Vanquish pushed him away.

"NO…..we must….bring justice….Jokerz"

"Look around there is no We…." Dagger exclaimed grabbing him again, but Vanquish resisted. Dagger looked up as he saw a mutating female Joker stumble towards them.

"H-H-Help M-ME" she groaned out. Dagger's eyes widen at the sight of her. He then looked down at Vanquish and then punched him across the jaw knocking him out. Dagger hoisted him over his shoulder and his jet pack roared to life, flying upwards just in the nick of time to avoid the explosion.

**BOOOOOM!**

* * *

"ARGH!" shouted Bonk as he felt his body starting to expand even more, even though he was in pain he knew what was causing the transformation. He could feel the patch on his neck burning slightly. Using every once of strength he could muster he reached up and ripped the patch off of his neck. Immediately his body began to stop expanding and it started to painfully shrink back to its original state.

"AAAAH" he yelled as almost every nerve ending in his body was on fire. He cracked open an eye and he saw more Jokerz starting to exploded leaving giant craters, but they were also taking the Knightbreed and the cops along with their explosions. Bonk growled in his throat as he forced himself to his feet. He then turned and limped away with the intentions of heading back to Durlan's Toy Factory.

* * *

**BOOM! BO****OM! BABOOOM! **Went more and more explosions until finally they stopped. Slowly Batman and Barbara peeked from around their hiding spots once they heard the finally explosion.

"Dear God" Batman whispered looking at all of the destruction. Fires where everywhere, large craters littered the area. Buildings were destroyed; bodies of civilians, bodies of the Knightbreed, and of the Jokerz littered the ground, absolute mayhem.

"Bullock are there" asked Barbara over her radio

_Krzzzzz_ "Yeah Commissioner….I'm here….but the destruction…." _Krzzzzz_

"I know…..call a bus down here now…do you know how many of ours we lost"

_Krzzzzzzz_ "No….."_Krzzzzzzzzzz_ replied Detective Bullock sullenly.

Barbara closed her eyes for a second and let out a sigh. She then looked up and saw Batman walking through the destruction. She studied him for a long minute before she walked towards him.

"You….." she started before she had to swallow "Are you alright"

Batman turned to her for a second and then turned back

"Fine…you"

"Yeah…thanks for saving my life…you did good today Batman, but this is your first and last warning….give up the costume, there is enough vigilantism in this city and look at the destruction it caused"

"A-Are you….Are you implying that this is my fault" asked Batman with wide eyes

"No….I'm saying that this is what vigilantism causes…destruction and Mayhem" she said forcefully

"I'll remember that next time your life is in danger" he replied turning to face her.

**WHOOOO WHOOOO WHOOOOO **went the sound of more police cars showing up along with the ambulances and fire department. Batman and Barbara looked in the directions of where they were coming from.

"Get out of here and remember this is your first and last warning"

Batman glared at her but then he spread his wings and flew away into the night.

* * *

**Durlan's Toy Factory**

"TERMINAL!" shouted Bonk as he stumbled into the now empty Toy Factory. Bonk fell to the ground in pain, but his anger overshadowed his pain, "TERMINAL!"

The door to the office opened and Terminal stepped out along with Chucko, Ghoul, Dee Dee Twins, and Woof.

"Bonk….good to see you're still alive" he said while smiling.

"You…You son of a Bitch…..what the hell was in those patches" growled Bonk fighting to stand to his feet.

"Power…..just like you wanted right" he replied

"What…..happened to them"

"To tell you the truth Bonk I really don't know…."

"What do you mean you don't know"

"You see Bonk…this is why you can never be in charge…..you are not a thinker" replied Terminal looking Bonk in the eyes, "Did you really think Bane would simply just let us walk away with his patches…..the moment he didn't put up a fight is when I suspected that something was wrong with those patches which is why I didn't want any of us to put them on….but you insisted".

"SO you let…all of our friends put on those…those exploding…."

"First of all Bonk they were not my friends….they were subordinates…..and yes I did let them put the patches on it was a calculated risk…..a risk that paid off in the end it seems, not only did they explode but they crippled the Knightbreed's numbers, the police are now destabilized, and with an attack like this the city will be dazed with fear"

"Terminal…you're insane" said Bonk

"I know Bonk…..now get yourself cleaned up…we have work to do…..more Jokerz to recruit" he said turning and walking away.

* * *

**Bat Cave: Later**

Batman jumped out of the batmobile and he landed on the cave floor. He took off his mask to reveal the face of Terry McGinnis. Terry growled to himself and he hit the side of the batmobile.

"Damn Jokerz" he said to himself. Terry looked up and saw Bruce sitting at the bat computer with his hands laced together staring at the computer screen. He let out a sigh and then he walked over.

"Go ahead and say it" said Terry. Bruce turned around in the chair and looked at him.

"Say what"

"How I screwed up…..how I wasn't able to stop all of the chaos that happened tonight"

"And how were you supposed to stop what happened Terry"

"…..I don't know you tell me….I'm sure if you were in the suit you probably would've thought of a way to stop them from exploding and killing all of those people"

Bruce studied him for a second before he answered

"No"

"No what"

"No I would not have been able to stop them from exploding either….this was all prearranged you had no way of preparing for what happened"

"What do you mean prearranged"

Bruce swung back around to face the bat computer and he typed a few key strokes into the computer.

"Look here McGinnis…this is the video feed from the batmobile….Do you see here after the explosion in the sky all of the jokerz pulled out one of these patches and they put them on and then they went through the transformation" said Bruce making the images zoom in on the slappers.

"I remember those things, it's what made that Terminal guy grow big and strong, so what he made a bad batch or something" Terry asked.

"Or something" Bruce replied typing another few key strokes into the computer and a formula pulled up on the screen, "While you were fighting I had the batmobile remotely collect a patch from one of the dead Jokerz and I had it analyzed.

"What turned up"

"This formula…which is a formula that I've seen before and my hunch from when you first told me about Terminal's transformation was proven true. My guess is that this Terminal made a deal, but only he didn't know who he was dealing with and he passed these patches out to his jokerz gang in thinking that it would help him take over Neo-Gotham"

"So what are you saying?"

Bruce let out a sigh and then glanced at Terry

"This whole attack was not only prearranged…..it was a calling card"

"From who"

Bruce pressed a single button and an image of a person from the past popped up on the screen.

"Who the hell is that?" asked Terry with raised eyebrows.

"His name….is **Bane**"

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey folks its me Nomad88 back with the closing comments again and I gotta say whoooooooo this chapter took me forever to write for two reasons one….I have no computer anymore it mysteriously flew out of my window and landed on the pavement outside of my window completely destroying it….really weird on how that happened…and the other reason is that I have been super busy I mean really really busy. So it is with great hope that this chapter doesn't feel rushed or just thrown out there, I hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter and I hope everyone is enjoying the story in general. Well readers that does it for this week I hope everyone returns for the next chapter oh and remember to leave a review….thanks…this is Nomad88 saying until next time…**

**Ps: If you haven't checked out Amazing Spider-Man vol 2 I would really appreciate it if you did and I would appreciate it if you left a review thanks….**

**Next up: I SHALL BREAK YOU BATMAN! **


	10. I SHALL BREAK YOU BATMAN!

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN any of these CHARACTERS, I repeat I DO NOT OWN, in fact ALL CREDIT goes directly to DC. DC OWNS everything I can assure that I'm in no way making any money off of this story. No money is being exchanged or handed to me I promise you so please….please find it in your heart NOT TO SUE ME…thanks. **

**Hello readers it's me here back with another chapter in the Batman Beyond Universe, the tension was rising last chapter and it's gonna get even higher in this one. So all I ask is that you Read, Review (Feedback is GOLDEN) and of course enjoy…..**

* * *

**Chapter 10: I SHALL BREAK YOU BATMAN!**

**TV: Next Day**

"_Hello and Good Morning Neo-Gotham I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always Kim Warren _

_Kim: Thanks Tom our top story this morning: MAYHEM….last night a battle of Epic proportions took place in the heart of the Downtown area of Neo-Gotham. _

_Tom: That's right Kim a Battle Royal between the NGCPD, the Knightbreed, the insane Jokerz, and Batman. As you can see on your screen here we have some footage of the incident._

_Kim: During the incident the Jokerz gang members started to transform into these strange muscle bound behemoths that proceed to make short work of the Police and the Knightbreed, but as they were fighting the Jokerz started to explode one by one. We warn you the images you see on the scene may not be suitable for young children. _

_Tom: The Jokerz that exploded caused several fatalities to the NGCPD and to the Knightbreed as well as caused severe damage to the downtown area of Neo-Gotham. The estimated amount of damage numbered in the millions. _

_Kim: We were able to get a small interview from Commissioner Barbara Gordon_

* * *

_Commissioner Gordon: We do not know what caused the Jokerz to explode and cause all of this damage but we are currently launching an investigation as of now you know as much as we do_

_Tom: Commissioner what about Batman's involvement last night did he help or hurt the situation _

_Commissioner Gordon: Thank you all for coming but I have work to do excuse me_

* * *

_Kim: Along with Commissioner Gordon's interview we were able to get an interview with none other than Derek Powers _

_Derek: I think what happened last night was an atrocity and I can assure the citizens of Neo-Gotham that Wayne-Powers will do everything in its power to help the city recover from this heinous act, by those insane Jokerz_

* * *

_Tom: We are lucky to have a person like Derek Powers to depend on in a situation such as this_

_Kim: How right you are Tom because we have just now received a estimate on the amount of money that Powers has donated since last night to the repair effort he has donate 2 million credits. _

_Tom: That is a substantial donation and we can only hope that the rest of Neo-Gotham elites put forth the same effort as Derek Powers_

_Kim: That's all we can do Tom is hope_

_Tom: Too True Kim. In other news District Attorney Sam Young has called a press conference to speak about the Jokerz incident we now take you live…_

* * *

_Sam Young: This is can not keep going on Ladies and Gentlemen. Last night's attack by the Jokerz proves that Neo-Gotham needs new leadership. The current Mayor Patrick Moore is not fulfilling his duties which are to protect the people of this great city. As Mayor I promise I will do everything in power to rectify this Jokerz and Knightbreed problem and if you ask anyone who knows me well enough they will tell you that I always keep my promises. _

* * *

_Tom: Bold words from a Bold man_

_Kim: But he does have a point though Tom, He keeps his promises. When he first became district attorney he promised to put more criminals behind bars and he has kept his word he has put many dangerous criminals behind bars than any District Attorney before him. _

_Tom: Right you are Kim, but more on that later when we come back…_

* * *

**Penthouse: 10:00 am**

Yinn entered the lavish penthouse with several bags of groceries in his hands. He walked through the living room and towards the kitchen where he set the bags down and proceeded to take the groceries out and put them in their proper place. Once that was done Yinn made his way to Damian's room.

Yinn entered Damian's room but to his surprise he didn't see Damian anywhere in sight.

"Master Wayne" Yinn called out, but he didn't hear a response, "Where could he be" he asked himself but he shrugged his shoulders and went back to the living room. As he made his way into the living he noticed that he TV was on. He went to the TV and he turned it up and the news report about last night's Jokerz attack was playing. Seeing the fighting that happened last night Yinn let out a sigh.

"I know where he is" he said to himself as he walked towards the door and left the Penthouse.

* * *

**Roof of Penthouse **

Yinn pushed open the door that led to the roof of the Penthouse and there standing in the middle of the roof was Damian Wayne. Yinn smirked to himself as he saw Damian doing Tai-Chi

'I knew it was a good idea to teach him that' Yinn thought to himself as he made his way over to Damian. Yinn stood next to him and proceed to do the same movements that he was doing. Several minutes went by and neither said anything, just lost themselves in the slow and intricate Tai-Chi motions let's the gentle morning breeze wash over them.

"Something troubling you Master Wayne" said Yinn breaking the silence while still doing the Tai-Chi movements

"…..What would give you the impression that something is wrong Yinn" replied Damian still doing the movements as well.

"You're doing Tai-Chi…..you only do Tai-Chi when you are seriously stressed out" replied Yinn

"No I don't"

"Yes you do" he replied with a smirk "I know you very well Master Wayne"

"….."

"Does your distress stem from last nights Jokerz attack" he asked. Damian glanced at him for a second only to see Yinn was looking right back at him, but while they were looking at each other they still didn't miss a beat with their Tai-Chi movements. Damian after a few seconds smirked

"Perhaps you do know me very well Yinn…..yes last night's attack has been on my mind" he replied

"Why is that sir"

"You Know why Yinn"

"Bane" said Yinn seriously

"Yes…it appears…..he didn't die"

"I was certain that he died in that cave in sir"

"I should've known he didn't die" said Damian stopping his movements

"Why is that sir"

"…." Damian didn't answer but he did turn to Yinn who stopped his movements as well.

"I never did tell you the whole story did I Yinn"

"No Sir you didn't"

Damian let out a huge sigh before he rubbed his neck. He looked up at the clear blue sky and then he looked at Yinn, "Where did I leave off" he asked

"You were about to tell me the identity of Bane"

"Right….Well…..it's a long story but Bane…is my younger Brother" said Damian looking Yinn in his eyes.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's Cleaners **

Huntress sat on her knees in her private training room in deep thought. Her thoughts were broken by the sound of someone entering her training room. She opened her eyes and turned to the sound and she saw Vanquish who had a bandage around his head and some bandages around his torso.

"Report" she said curtly

"We were hit hard" he said hanging his head slightly "38 of our brethren were killed last night in one fell swoop. 12 are injured and…..a few tried to quite so I had to dispose of them"

"Good…..do you do it in front of the others to let them know what happens to those who desert the Knightbreed"

"Of course Mistress" replied Vanquish "What is our next move"

"I'm thinking…..these killings can not go unpunished we must up our attacks on these Jokerz"

"What were they doing last night with growing their muscles…..how were they able to do that"

Huntress looked Vanquish in his eyes "The Jokerz used something called Venom"

"Venom" repeated Vanquish

"It's is a formula an old enemy of mine used to use but he is…incapacitated….."

"Is he dead"

"No…..he's not dead he's incapacitated, but it must mean he is making his Venom again"

"So what shall we do"

"Are you combat ready" she asked

"Yes I am mistress" he replied quickly. Huntress stood up and walked towards him, she threw out a swift punch that she knew he could block but he missed it and the punch hit him in his bandaged side.

"ARGH!"

"I admire your commitment but you are in no shape to fight, who do we have that we know can fight and are uninjured"

"Cloak and…. Dagger" Vanquish responded but Huntress picked up on how he said Dagger's name

"I take it you have a problem with Dagger…..speak your mind Vanquish"

"Mistress….I'm starting to have my doubts about Dagger…..believe me he is skilled we trained him well….but he lacks the will to do what is necessary….he says he only wants to kill one Joker and that's Terminal but I fear that he is not cut out for the Knightbreed way, I fear that his need for revenge on Terminal will…."

"Jeopardize a mission" she finished. Huntress put her hand on her chin in thought "This is the perfect opportunity to test him then"

"What are you thinking my Mistress"

"The man who makes this venom formula is a man named Bane. The last time I checked he is in a medical facility on the North side of Gotham…tell Cloak and Dagger their mission is to find him and find out where he is keeping his stash of Venom and ask him why he is in league with the Jokerz and once they find all of the information, tell Dagger he must Kill Bane"

"IF he doesn't my mistress"

"Then Vanquish you'll have another deserter to deal with" she replied

"Yes Mistress" he said as he turning around and about to leave, but Huntress called his name again

"Vanquish"

"Yes Mistress"

"Summon Misfit" she stated walking to her throne and sitting down.

"Yes Mistress" he replied walking out of the private room leaving the Huntress alone in the spacious room

* * *

**Damian and Yinn**

"Your younger Brother" repeated Yinn with shock evident in his voice, "I thought you were an only child"

"I did too, but apparently I'm not"

"Sir, is there anyway you can make this story a bit more clear for me"

"Alright" said Damian turning to him, "Before you and I started out illustrious crime fighting career…..there was a period where I wasn't so noble"

"Really" replied Yinn

"Yes….It was right after I had the fight with my Father"

"The original Batman" stated Yinn

"Yes. I was feeling…..rejected since he told me I would be Batman so I went to the only place I knew where I would feel wanted" said Damian pausing for a second

Yinn looked at him and then his eyes widen

"No…. You went back to your Mother Talia Al Ghul" said Yinn in realization

"Correct. I went running back to her and the league of shadows, but before she welcomed me back I had to prove that I was committed to her and not my father so I….." Damian looked down at the ground for a split second and then he looked at Yinn again.

"I understand sir. You did what you had to"

"If you say so"

"I do Master Wayne. So once you started working for your mother again"

"Right, after I proved myself she gave me some speech about how mother's always know what's best for their child and how a mother would never turn their backs, but what I didn't know at the time was that she…had moved on"

"Moved on" repeated Yinn with raised eyebrows

"Yes….long ago my Mother realized that her beloved….my father was not the man for her, they while being attracted to each other on a physical level, they did not have the same goals and once I chose the path that my father walked my mother was feeling a bit lonely and she went to her back up plan"

"Back up plan"

"The original Bane" said Damian

"There were two Banes" asked Yinn intrigued by the story

"Yes. The original Bane was an enemy of my father and till this day Bane is the only man that has ever come close to ending my Father's career as Batman"

"How so"

"He broke his back"

"What" responded Yinn with wide eyes

"Broke his back, but my father recovered and defeated him… but that's another story. My mother met this Bane and she immediately disliked him because of his obsession with Batman, but as the years went by Bane's obsession with him declined and my mother began to see him in a different light".

"I can see where this is going…she and the original Bane got together" finished Yinn

"Yes she saw that he was a powerful and feared Man, so naturally she was attracted to him and they…."

"Had a child"

"When I found out that I had a brother I went and found him. He was about 9 years old at the time and my mother had already indoctrinated him into the family business"

"You mean the league of shadows"

"Yes and once I saw that I knew…..I knew I had to get him out of there...and so I did what I had to"

"You kidnapped him didn't you" said Yinn

"I saved him, but in the process I ran into his Father Bane, we fought I lost, but he did tell me that he wasn't going to let his son follow in the legacy of the league of shadows but his legacy and then they disappeared. I tracked them China, but I lost them"

"But you found me" replied Yinn with a smile

"Right"

"And when you found me…and we had to fight those assassin's"

"My mother's goon squad she wasn't too particular happy with me for kidnapping my brother so I've made her list of people to kill and so has Bane"

"And then we fast forward to a few years ago and we run into a man named Bane"

"My brother's all grown up and following in his father's legacy. You and I fight him there's a cave in and I thought he died, but I should have known better, because people in my family have a knack for…..escaping death"

"Too true sir….I'm still having nightmares about your grandfather Ra's Al Ghul"

"Join the club" responded Damian

"But sir….why has your brother chose to help the Jokerz"

"I've been trying to figure that out since I saw the report….and I've only come up with one scenario"

"Care to enlighten me"

"If my brother turned out anything like his father, he is obsessed with legacy and proving that he is the best…..so the only reason I can think he would lend out his Venom formula is because he was putting out a calling card"

"A calling card sir…for who" asked Yinn

"Who else…the man that his father has been obsessed with…..Batman" said Damian

* * *

**Batcave: 7:00pm**

Terry McGinnis walked down the winding stone steps that led further into the Bat cave. After Bruce's revelation yesterday and the Jokerz attack, Bruce told him to go home and get some sleep. Terry tried to press him for more information but he wouldn't budge, but Terry decided that enough was enough, if he was going to be Batman he need complete disclosure about everything and that included knowledge about Bane and the Grey Ghost.

"HEY!" shouted Terry as he reached the last step. He walked towards Bruce who was sitting in his chair looking at the blank computer screen deep in thought. He heard Terry's yell and he turned around in his chair, to look at him.

"Listen Old Man I'm sick of this tight lip bullshit…..I'm Batman and If I'm going to be Batman I'm going to need information….I'm tired of everytime I ask you a question you cut me off or don't say anything. That's not how a partnership works…if this is going to work out….I need you to trust me….I need…."

"You're right"

"I…." Terry stopped for a second and looked at him "I am…..I mean I know I'm right…good….I'm glad we cleared this up….now tell who the hell is Bane"

Bruce let out a sigh and he swung around back to the computer and he type a few key strokes and the image of Bane from yesterday popped up along with detailed information about him, his activities and his Modus Operandi.

"Bane was a highly intelligent and highly formidable enemy of mine in my days as Batman. I've had many battles in my lifetime but each battle with Bane was more deadly than the last. He was the one man who almost ended my career as Batman when he broke my back"

"Holy Shit really…..He broke your back" asked Terry with wide eyes

"Yes. It took me a long time to recover but I eventually did"

"So who is this guy"

"Bane is one of the handful of people I still do not have official names for…..but that's beside the point. The point is that he specialized in creating a special formula that he called Venom. Venom is a highly addictive and powerful drug that increases a persons strength by a factor of 5, but it really depends on how much venom one were to inject themselves with"

"Wait you said this guy was an enemy of yours from back in the day right…..so he's got to be at least your age right what's he doing with the Jokerz…what could he possibly gain from helping them"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out….but I don't think the Bane that I fought is the same Bane who is making this formula" replied Bruce typing in a few keys and bringing up two Formula's on the screen, "Look at the formula on the right, that is the formula that Bane used…..and the formula on the left is what the Jokerz used….if you look closely you'll see that they're slightly different"

"Uh….I'll take your word for it" replied Terry looking at the complex formula and not understanding what he was looking at.

"The formula on the left it's bastardized" said Bruce leaning back in his chair

"Uh Bastardized…..meaning what"

"Meaning that someone only had part of the full formula and then guessed at the second part"

"Which is why the Jokerz exploded"

"Right" replied Bruce

"Okay so…if this formula is bastardized that means that the original Bane had to have leaked out part of the formula…let's go ask him who he leaked it to…where is he" said Terry

"Long ago Bane resurfaced in Gotham trying to rob a bank…..mostly liking calling me out, but I had retired…..he took on the Knightbreed when it was still young…but….."

"But what"

"Constant use of the Venom drug had destroyed his organs, and when he fought the Knightbreed he accidentally overdosed on Venom nearly dying, but the paramedics where able to revive him, but he would never be the same"

"Where is he though?"

"Neo-Gotham Memorial" said Bruce

"The nursing home" replied Terry

"Right…..so suit up and hurry…..if we were able to figure this out I'm sure the Knightbreed have figured this out too which means"

"Shit….they'll try to go get information out of him too and they might kill him" said Terry running towards the steps that led to the cases with the Bat suits inside. He went to the last case and he opened it and grabbed his Bat suit.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's Cleaners**

The old woman that sits by the front door of the cleaners stood up from her spot and she made her way to the elevator that would take her down to the lower levels of the Knightbreed lair.

Stepping off of the elevator she walked forward glancing at all of the future Knightbreed members as they went about their training and they took note of her. The old woman made it to another door and it opened on its own.

Standing in front of her was Vanquish who bowed to her and then stepped out of the way. The old woman passed him and descended down the steps. She walked along the path that led to the throne where she could see Huntress sitting in awaiting her arrival. The old woman stopped in front of her and kneeled down

"Huntress" she said

"Misfit…..I mean Charlotte, you don't have to bow to me nor do you have to call me Huntress, you and I are beyond such things I consider you my equal and my sister"

"I consider you my sister as well Helena" replied misfit

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe aka Misfit was one of the oldest friends of the Huntress. She and Helena had been through many battles in their lifetime. Charlotte stood at 5'6 and looked to be in her mid 70s, she had silver hair, and wrinkly tan skin. Charlotte had always wanted to be a crime fighter. She could remember where she was when she first heard about Batman and his exploits. She then heard about a woman calling herself Batgirl and helping Batman out from time to time. It was after this moment that she decided that what she wanted to do be a crime fighter so she started training herself. She trained herself diligently for about a year and a half, and after that she decided to put on a batgirl costume and do some good. It wasn't long until she ran into a problem she couldn't handle on her own, but then fate intervened and she was saved by a group of super heroines calling themselves the Birds of Prey. This was Charlotte's first meeting with Helena Bertinelli aka the Huntress, they convinced her that she was too young to be a crime fighter, but Helena felt a kindred spirit with her and began to teach her how to fight and told her when she got older she could be in the Birds of Prey. Few years later Charlotte takes her up on that offer and she joins and she calls herself Misfit and along with her new name she also demonstrates a new ability which is to 'bounce' or teleport to anyplace she wants, where this ability came from no one not even Charlotte herself knows, which was proven to be a blessing but also a curse. Charlotte discovered that her ability was magic based, but at the same time every time she used her ability she made herself age prematurely, and by the time she found this out it was too late. So while she looked to be in her mid 70s she was actually in her early 40s

"My sister I need you to do me a favor" said Huntress standing up and walking towards Charlotte

"Anything" she replied

"I need you to use your powers"

"But….Helena you.."

"Yes I know you haven't used your powers because they make you age but Charlotte this is important I have to weed out the strong and the weak" said Helena trying to reason with Charlotte "We are the Knightbreed we are strong, we have no room for those who do not posses the will to do what is necessary…..we can not let what happened to Zinda happen again can we"

"No…..we can't" replied Charlotte "okay I'll do it"

"Good, now this is what I need you to do"

* * *

**In the Air - 7:30pm**

The Batmobile came to a stop; it was hovering above the Neo-Gotham Memorial nursing home. The nursing home was were they kept elderly patients who need extra care that normal nursing homes are not equipped to handle. Batman pulled the levers in the ceiling and dropped out of the bottom of the batmobile. Batman spread his wings and glided down to the nursing home roof

'_Be careful McGinnis Bane is dangerous'_ came Bruce's voice on the comm.

"Right" he replied pulling off the vent and entering through the ventilation system.

* * *

**Street Level: Neo-Gotham Memorial **

Two Figures moved swiftly through the wooded area and approached the large wall on the backside of the nursing home. They reached the side wall and they hugged themselves in the to the shadows looking to see if they saw any type of security

"Anything" asked Cloak looking around

"No…no one" replied Dagger

"Alright good…..let's move" he said as they both turned around. They raised their hands and out fired a grappling hook that hooked onto the top of the wall. They both began to climb up the grapping hook and then they jumped over the side, landing quietly on the grass of the other side.

Cloak and Dagger quickly made their way to the door that was a few feet in front of them. Cloak reached for the hand pad.

"Wait no…..this way" said Dagger grabbing his hand and leading him to a window a few feet to the left. Cloak nodded his head and went to the window. Dagger pulled out a knife and held it up to the glass. He made a small circle with his knife on the glass and a portion of the window fell out. Dagger reached in through the newly made hole and unlocked the window. Cloak and Dagger then proceed into the nursing home.

* * *

**Inside the Nursing Home**

Batman silently took off the ventilation grate and dropped down into the Lobby of the nursing home. He looked around and then grabbed the circle on his belt and turned it cloaking himself. While cloaked Batman reached up to his ear.

"Okay I'm in" he whispered "What now" he asked

"Make your way to the front desk" said Bruce from over the comm.

Batman hugged himself to the wall and he went to the corner and he peeked around and he saw a desk with several nurses and orderly's lounging around the desk.

"I see it…now what"

"Create a diversion" responded Bruce

"How"

"Your utility belt…fourth pocket on the right" said Bruce

Batman reached in the pocket and pulled out 5 white marble sized balls.

"Throw them down the hallway behind you"

Batman turned and threw the white balls.

**POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!** Went the balls. Batman didn't have to wait long before the nurses and the orderlies came running around the corner. As soon as he saw them he ran around the corner and to the desk.

"What am I looking for"

"You're looking for a John 'Strongman' Doe" replied Bruce

"Really"

"Don't ask about the name" said Bruce

Batman searched the through the files on the desk and through some of the drawers, until he found the name.

"Got it…Strongman on floor 22, room 18" whispered Batman putting the folder back and running from around the desk and to the elevator that would lead him to his destination.

* * *

The Orderlies and the nurses turned the corner and started heading back to the front desk.

"What the hell was that" asked one of the nurses

"I don't kn…" started an orderly before he was caught by a surprise fist to the face. The orderly went down like a ton of bricks.

"OH MY G….." Started a nurse before a hand slammed onto her mouth and pushed her against the wall. She stared at the figure before her and then glanced and saw the other figure beating up the orderlies and restraining the nurses.

"Listen to me….I'm looking for one of your patients" said Dagger staring into her eyes.

* * *

**Upstairs, Room 18**

Batman crept up to the door and he peeked through the small window. Inside the room he saw a metal wheelchair facing the window and what looked like a bald man sitting in the chair.

Batman pressed the button on the side of the door and it swished open and he walked inside.

* * *

Batman walked towards the man and he stood next to him. He saw that the man was old looked like he was in his 80s. His face was wrinkled and spotted; he had missing teeth, was drooling slightly and he had a blank stare on his face. Batman also saw that his body was frail and weak and it looked as if he could drop dead at any moment, the only thing that was keeping him alive was the dual oxygen tanks on the side of his chair and the breathing machine attached to his nose.

"This is one of your oldest enemies" asked Batman

'_I told you he overdosed on Venom….this is the result' _

"Doesn't look like he'll be much help"

"Sh…..Show…..yourself….Batman" came the strained voice of the elderly Bane. Batman widens his eyes and then looked himself over to see that he was still cloaked.

"What should I do?"

'_Turn off the camouflage' Bruce replied _

Batman reached down and he turned the circular disc and his camouflage turned off and there he stood in front of Bane.

"How did you know I was there" he asked

"…I-I….know…..what it feels like….when….you're watching" he replied breaking into a fit of coughs.

"You know why I'm here Bane. What is your connection to the Jokerz" Batman demanded.

"Ha…Ha…Ha" Bane tried to laugh breathing in deeply, "You…..must be new….to this game boy. The….original….was more believable"

"Listen you old Fuck, you supplied Jokerz with your venom formula, and I want to know why…what is your angle, what are you getting out of helping them destroy the city" said Batman grabbing his wheelchair and spinning around to face him.

"It…..was….not I….that supplied….the venom formula to the Jokerz Batman…"

"Then who"

"My…..Legacy…my….hijo" he replied

* * *

**Batcave**

"Hijo…. his Son" repeated Bruce with wide eyes.

* * *

**Nursing Home**

"What the hell is a hijo…..and what legacy" replied Batman

'_Hijo means son in Spanish McGinnis' Bruce said _

"Where is your Son Bane" asked Batman

"…..closer….than….you think" he repeated

"What…"

"BATMAN!" shouted a voice. Batman turned and saw Cloak and Dagger enter the room.

"The Knightbreed"

"You will pay for standing in our way" growled Cloak throwing a knife at him. Batman jumped to the side and avoided the knife.

"DAGGER GET THE INFO FROM BANE I'LL HANDLE HIM!" shouted Cloak rushing Batman.

Cloak came in with a high punch that was block, but as it was blocked Cloak quickly brought up his knee and tried knee Batman in the stomach, but Batman blocked it with his own knee. Batman then reared his head back and then head butted Cloak in the face knocking him back. Batman then swept Cloak's feet taking him to the ground. Cloak fell but he responded by sweeping Batman's feet knocking him down as well.

As the two were fighting Dagger rushed over to the elderly Bane and turned his chair around.

"Bane I presume"

"You…..presume…..correctly...boy"

"Bane I need information, where is the stash of Venom that you are supplying to the Jokerz and why are you helping them"

"….." Bane didn't reply he simply stared at Dagger unafraid

"I asked you a question"

"All…..answers…will come…"

"When" asked Dagger.

"Now…." He said, and as he said that a metal canister flew through the glass window of the room. The canister rolled on the ground before it stopped on its own and released a deep blue hue gas that immediately filled the room.

"_Cough….Cough…Cough_…C-Cloak" gagged Dagger before he fell to the ground unconscious

* * *

**BatCave**

"MCGINNIS ACTIVATE THE GAS FILTER IN THE MASK NOW…..MCGINIS!" shouted Bruce

* * *

"_Cough…..Cough_…..H-How….d-do…I…..ugh…" started Batman before he and Cloak stopped struggling with each other and fell to the ground unconscious as well. After a few seconds the gas began to dissipate and the only left conscious was the elderly Bane because of his breathing apparatus. Bane looked to the side when he saw his door swoosh open again and a Man turned sideways and stepped through.

"Hijo" rasped the elderly Bane to the man

"I've told you time and time again to call me Bane" the man replied

"You…are…..not…Bane….yet….hijo…"

"But soon I will be" Bane replied walking over the unconscious Batman and grabbing him the shoulder and lifting him up to his eye sight, "Soon…." he said again as he turned and began to leave with the unconscious Batman in tow.

"What…about….them…they….must be….punished as well" said the elderly Bane.

"Why" the younger Bane asked turning to his father.

"It…is because….of them…..I'm in this state…...you…must….find….." started the elderly Bane before he broke into a fit of coughs again, but he had said enough to where his son understood.

"Oh I see…I remember the story now, you where trying to draw Batman out but instead you ran into the Huntress and you were forced to use an unhealthy amount of Venom….thus causing your state" said the younger Bane, he turned around to look at the unconscious Cloak and Dagger and he smirked.

"Fine….I shall find out what they know about her and then I will handle her as well"

"….once…..my enemies…have…been defeated….you will be…Bane"

Bane walked over to Cloak and Dagger and he grabbed them by the capes and he proceeded to drag them out of his father's nursing home leaving the elderly Bane in the room by himself.

* * *

A few minutes past and the elderly Bane's eyes began to droop as if he was going to sleep, but he was awoken by a sound a flash of light in front of him.

**FWOOOSH!**

The elderly Bane's eyes widen as an old woman stood in front of him, smirking at him.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen eh Bane" said Misfit

"…I…..know you…..don't I….child" rasped Bane.

"You should…my name is Misfit"

"I…..remember you…..Birds…..of Prey" he replied

"That's right…..and I have a message from the Huntress"

"…..what….messa…" the elderly Bane didn't get a chance to finish because, Misfit, suddenly vanished and then appeared behind him and wrapped some wire around his neck and started to strangle him.

"She let you live the last time….but this time….for the death of our Brethren, you must Die…..and you son….he will die as well" growled Misfit as she continued to strangle the elderly Bane until he stopped moving. Misfit took the wire off of his neck. She turned to the door because she could here the sound of footsteps approaching. Closing her eyes in concentration, she flashed out of existence just as the nurses, the orderlies and the security barged into the rooms, but the only thing they saw was the dead elderly Bane.

* * *

**Unknown Location: Unknown Time**

"Ugh…My head" groaned Batman as he cracked open his eyes, they first thing he noticed was that he was in a dark large open metal basement area. He turned to the left and saw Cloak, and then he turned to the right and saw Dagger. Batman groggily pushed himself to a sitting position and tried to asses where he was at, but before he could the lights turned on blinding him and stirring his sleeping Cloak and Dagger.

"Jesus…what the hell happened" groaned Cloak opening his eyes and shielding them from the light.

"My head….ugh…the lights" said Dagger as he too woke up. Cloak and Dagger both looked around and they both saw Batman sitting in the middle of them.

"BATMAN!" they both shouted

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO US….WHERE ARE WE!" shouted Cloak

"I didn't do anything you Idiot" Batman growled at him.

"QUICK DAGGER, LET'S GE…!"

"Cloak shut up…and look" Dagger interrupted, while pointing across the room. Batman and Cloak turned around and saw a set of stairs that let up to a door and a platform, but standing on the platform was none other than Bane, staring at them intensely with a smirk on his face.

"You have awoken….Good" he said in his accented voice. Bane began to walk down the stairs and not for one second did he take his eyes off of his three opponents.

"So, you're the new Bane…a chip off the old block I see" said Batman as he quickly stood up, he was followed by Cloak and Dagger who stood up as well.

"So I see your predecessor has discussed me…just as my predecessor has discussed you in deep detail Batman"

"BANE YOU HAVE TO ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAISNT THE KNIGHTBREED!" shouted Cloak reaching for a blade or knife, but he noticed he had been relieved off all of his knives.

"Ah Yes the Knightbreed…..how is the Huntress doing after all of these years…that Bitch must be old as my Father by now" said Bane turning his attention to Cloak

"YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT OUR MISTRESS THAT WAY!" he shouted

"Cloak, reign it in we need to keep our cool if we are going to get out of this" whispered Dagger as he sized up Bane mentally

"Wise advice….listen to your friend" replied Bane smiling

"Who the Hell is the Huntress" said Batman looking at Cloak and Dagger and then Bane.

"Why don't you ask whoever you're in contact with Batman" Said Bane looking at him.

"How did…."

"I'm not stupid Batman…as soon as I captured you I scanned your suit and I found that your are sending out a signal to where I'm still trying to determine but the only logical explanation for this is that you are receiving help…..I suspect from the original Batman"

Batman reached up to his ear, but all he heard was static from the communication

"I might have forgotten to mention that I'm jamming that signal as well"

"Why are we here Bane…..clearly you have the upper hand why didn't you kill us" asked Dagger narrowing his eyes at Bane.

"Why kill my enemies when there is no audience" he replied "CHAPPELL BEGIN!" he shouted.

"Right" came a voice from over a communications system in the basement area.

* * *

**NGCPD**

Commissioner Gordon let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair. The amount of paperwork she was buried under was ridiculous but necessary the Jokerz attack had left a huge dent in the city, financially, and spiritually, people were afraid to go outside because of the Jokerz. Barbara took off of her glasses and rubbed her eyes, but before she could relax Montoya Bullock burst into her office.

"Commissioner!"

"What is it Bullock"

"Come here now" she replied

Barbara quickly got up and followed Montoya out of the office and into the bullpen that was the Police precinct all of the officers were gathered in front of a Flat screen TV that had a close up image of Bane on the screen.

"Oh No" she whispered to herself

* * *

**BatCave**

Bruce stopped his typing on the Bat computer. Ever since his communication with Terry went down he had been furiously trying to find a way to track him, but so far he didn't have anything, until a video of Bane popped up on the screen. Bruce looked at the video and put his hands together in deep thought.

* * *

**Penthouse Suite**

"MASTER WAYNE!" shouted Yinn from the living room

Damian rushed out of his room and into the living room.

"What is it Yinn"

"Look" he said pointing at the TV

"Oh Shit"

* * *

**Unknown Location**

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen…do not attempt to change your TV because you can't this is a special broadcast. For those of you who do not know me I am Bane and for those of you who do know me….reports of Bane's demise have been greatly exaggerated. I am alive and well, the Legacy of the Bane shall continue on, for no one on this planet can defeat someone such as me. Despite the fact that some have already tried"

The camera zoomed and showed Batman, Cloak and Dagger.

"These three that you see before you are my enemies. They were the enemies of the original Bane as well. The Knightbreed or should I say it's Empress, tried to stop the original Bane and she through the help of a toxic chemical achieved her goal, so they my _'empress'_ shall answer for your crimes…..that is unless of course you would like to face me on your own, but I'm pretty sure you won't get here in time to save your subordinates…so the next battle shall be between you and I. Next I bring to you the man that consumed the Bane before me…Batman. Batman and the original Bane had a special relationship, Bane was only man to ever come close to ending the Batman's career but through some unholy fluke Batman recovered and defeated him and from that day forward….the original Bane was consumed by the idea of you…defeating you completely but he never achieved this goal and that ladies and Gentlemen is why you and I are here. I want Gotham to witness Batman's defeat by my hands and I want you all to witness my coronation as it were, I will do what my predecessor was unable to do, not only shall I defeat you completely…... " started Bane as he opened his palms to reveal four white patches. He peeled each patch and then slapped them onto his exposed arms

"ARGH!" he grunted as he felt his muscles start to change and double in size. His upper body, lower body and every muscle in between began to expand and double to intimidating size. Bane started to grow a few inches in height as well and after a few tense seconds the transformation stopped.

"Dear God" whispered Batman and Dagger at the same time as the transformation completed.

"…..**I SHALL BREAK YOU BATMAN!**" roared Bane before he charged at his three opponents.

* * *

"Oh shit" said Batman as he saw the massive and muscle bound Bane charge at him. Bane came towards him with a powerful left punch but he was able to duck under the punch and roll away. Bane missed Batman but he swung his left hand to the side and he hit Cloak square in the chest hard sending him flying back into the wall unconscious.

"CLOAK!" shouted Dagger

Bane turned to the sound of the yell and he growled menacingly at Dagger and Batman. Bane roared and charged at them.

"Any Ideas" asked Dagger

"Yeah stay alive MOVE!" Batman yelled pushing Dagger out of the way just Bane charging through. Batman Jumped up and kicked him in the back, but it didn't even faze him. Bane quickly turned and punched Batman in the stomach lifting him off of the ground slightly.

"ARGH!" he grunted in pain feeling the powerful blow. Bane grabbed him by the head and picked him up. Bane then grabbed his leg and held him over his head.

"TIME TO DIE BATMAN!" growled Bane

* * *

**BatCave**

"NO!" shouted Bruce seeing what Bane was about to do to Batman

* * *

Dagger seeing Batman in trouble ran up behind Bane and kicked him in the back of the leg causing him buckle and drop to a knee. The small distraction was enough for Batman to flick his wrist and produce a batarang. He stabbed the end of the batarang into Bane's fingers that was around his head.

"RAH!" shouted Bane in pain releasing his head, but he slammed Batman to the ground with the hand that was wrapped around his leg. Bane then punched Batman in the stomach.

"UGH!" groaned Batman, but he didn't have time to dwell on the pain. He stabbed the end of the batarang into Bane's arm, but that only served to piss him off even more. Suddenly Dagger jumped onto Bane's back and wrapping his arm around his throat. Bane tossed Batman to the side sending him skidding to the ground roughly.

* * *

Batman pushed himself up and he spat out some blood on the metal floor.

"Oh God" he said to himself because his stomach felt as if it was on fire. He glanced up and saw Dagger struggling with Bane, but then something strange happened. Bane's muscles began to shrink a little.

"What the hell" he said in wonderment seeing his muscles shrink, but then he looked down and he saw that attached to the end of the Batarang that he stabbed Bane with was one of the white patches that he slapped on before he turned into a muscle bound behemoth. Batman then looked up at Bane and then down at the patch again. The wheels began to turn in his mind.

"Okay…now I've got a plan" he said to himself

* * *

"OFF ME!" shouted Bane grabbed Dagger's cape. He swung him around and then tossed him into the metal wall where he slid down to the ground next to Cloak who as starting to come to.

"Ugh…..Dagger….what" he started before he saw Bane running towards them.

"Oh Shit" he said with wide eyes. As Bane was charging at them they saw Batman flying behind him.

"MOVE!" he shouted. Cloak and Dagger quickly jumped to the side.

Batman reached into one of his side pockets and pulled out a two Batarangs. He tossed the batarangs and they both opened to reveal a huge net. Bane who was already charging tried to stop and turn but as he turned the nets hit him and the sharp ends embedded themselves into the metal wall. Batman flew in and kneed him in the face; from there he shoved his forearm into Bane's throat and grabbed one of the white patches on his shoulder and quickly ripped it off, and flew away. Bane popped the wire off him just as his muscles began to shrink again and his height decreased as well.

"THE PATCHES IF WE CAN GET THEM OFF WE CAN TAKE HIM!" shouted Batman to Cloak and Dagger, who nodded their heads and looked at Bane.

"DAMN YOU BATMAN" Growled Bane looking at him hovering in the air. Despite the fact that he had only two patches left Bane was still massive and strong. Bane took a few steps and leapt in the air trying to grab Batman, but he swerved out of the way. He flicked his wrist and a batrang slid out and the threw it at Bane. Bane saw it coming dodged it, but he didn't notice that Cloak and Dagger were running towards him, the duo jumped in the air at the same time and they both kicked him in the face making him stumble back. They landed on the ground and then charged and tackled him to the ground.

"QUICK GRAB A PATCH!" shouted Dagger, but Bane heard them and with a impressive show of strength threw both of them off of him. Bane then climbed to his feet.

"NO NO YOU'RE NOT TAKING ANYMORE OF MY SLAPPERS ALL OF YOU SHALL DIE!" he shouted. Bane rushed towards Dagger and grabbed him by the cape again. He held him up and the threw him at Batman, who caught him, which is what Bane was counting on, because as he caught him Bane ran and jumped and tackled him down to the ground and held them there by their throats.

"ACK!" gasped Batman and Dagger as they both tried their best to break Bane's incredibly strong grip.

'_MCGINNIS CAN YOU HEAR ME!_' came Bruce's voice over the comm.

"ACK!" he responded back

'_Listen to me if you can hear me in the pocket on the right side of utility belt is a pressured capsule that's filled with gas that can blind your opponent for 5 seconds Use it' _

Batman reached into the pocket and he pulled out the capsule, he quickly held it up in Bane's face and he pressed it.

**KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH** went the gas as it sprayed in Bane's face

"ARGH!" he roared letting them go and grabbing his eyes in pain.

"Q-Quick while he's distracted" said Batman rolling to his feet and Dagger doing the same thing. They both ran and grabbed one of Bane's arms, while they did that Cloak ran and jumped and kicked Bane as hard as he could in the back of the head making him stumble and fall down. Batman and Dagger each grabbed the white patch on his arm and they ripped it off.

Bane's body immediately began to ripple and return to its normal form. He opened his teary eyes to see that he had returned to normal. He growled to himself and he pushed himself to his feet, and he turned around.

"YOU THINK….. THIS IS OVER…..IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL I SAY IT'S OVER" He shouted, while being out of breathe.

Cloak ran towards him and thrusted out a punch, Bane sidestepped the punch and responded with his own powerful punch that knocked him back.

As Bane was fighting Batman noticed that he was tired and his movements were sluggish, the sudden regression had weakened him. He looked to Dagger who looked at him, and even though neither said anything they both knew what the other was thinking and they nodded their heads.

Both ran towards Bane at the same time. Batman came in with a High punch, Bane sidestepped, but he received a punch to the stomach courtesy of Dagger. Bane tried to kick him, but he rolled out of the way, which left Bane open to the quick two punch combo from Batman that broke Bane's nose, drawing blood. Bane growled and shook his head and readied himself for another attack. Cloak jumped over the both of them and kicked Bane in the chest, from there Dagger rushed in with another quick powerful punch to Bane's stomach, and lastly Batman ran in with a knee to the chin that lifted Bane off of his feet and sent him crashing to the ground. Batman walked towards the downed Bane to see he was still conscious.

"Y….You….C-Can't…Defeat…..ME…..I…AM…BANE" he tried to say while struggling to stay conscious. Batman leaned down to him and grabbed him by the front of his costume.

"Like your Predecessor Bane…..you've been defeated…..by Batman" he said before head butting him, and knocking him out.

* * *

**Control Room**

Jackson Chappell saw his partner Bane go down to the ground and get head butted by Batman.

"Shit….." he said to himself as he turned around in his chair. He jumped out of his chair and grabbed his jacket and proceeded to the exit

"Sorry Bane….but I've got my own plans…..Godspeed" he said right before he left through the exit.

* * *

"Fuck….that….was hard" said Cloak bending over and breathing hard. Batman rose to his feet and he looked up he saw the video camera's watching them. He followed the wires to a shock box that controlled them. Batman flicked his wrist and produced a Batarang. He through the batarang at the shock box destroying it and severing the video feed.

"You alright Cloak" asked Dagger

"NO…You"

"I could be better" he replied, "I'm just glad it's over"

"Not quite"

"What do you mean?"

"We have to kill him Huntress said so"

"We can't kill him" responded Dagger

"Why not he tried to kill us…..this is what we do he is a threat….he must be dealt with"

"And he will be" Batman interrupted "I'm taking him to jail"

"You mean that revolving door…he'll escape I know he will" said Cloak

"And I'll be there to put him back, but no one is killing anyone not while I'm here"

"I'm prepared to take you on Batman"

"Cloak stand down…no one is an any condition to do anymore fighting…."

"Listen to your friend Dreg"

"WHO YOU CALLIN A DREG! RODENT BOY!" shouted Cloak.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Dagger grabbing Cloak by the shoulder, "Come on….this battle is over…." said Dagger as he dragged Cloak away from Bane and Batman

"This isn't over Batman….you win this time….but you'll be seeing us again, especially if you're standing up for this animal….COUNT ON IT!" shouted Cloak pulling his arm out of Dagger's grasp. Batman dropped to a knee as he saw them leave up the stairs. They kicked open the door and disappeared.

"Old man….can you hear me"

'Yes'

"How are you talking to me…Bane was jamming the signals"

'_Auxiliary channel in the batsuit…..produces a level so low that it was unaffected by the jamming…..I've sent the batmobile to your coordinates it should be….._'

**BOOM! **

Batman looked up to see a giant hole in the roof of the basement area he was in. The Batmobile lowered into the basement and opened up. Batman grabbed Bane by the shirt and dragged him to the Batmobile and tossed him inside. Batman jumped into the Batmobile and it rose in the air and flew away.

* * *

**NGCPD**

"Uh Commissioner Gordon"

"What is it Bullock"

"You might want to come to roof with me" she said

"Does it involve Batman?"

"How did you know?"

"Call it a hunch" she said standing up and walking out of the office.

Commissioner Gordon pushed open the door to the roof and there lying in the middle of the roof was Bane tied up and a piece of paper stuck to his chest. The two police women walked up to the motionless Bane. Detective Bullock leaned down and grabbed the sheet of paper. She opened it and all she saw in the middle of the paper was the Bat symbol. Commissioner Gordon looked up and squinted her eyes as she saw the batmobile speeding away into the night.

* * *

**BatCave**

The Batmobile landed in the Batcave, and the top slid open. Batman slowly got out of the vehicle and grunted to himself as he landed on the ground.

"UGH….man my sides" he said. He looked up to see Bruce standing there with a wheelchair.

"Good job McGinnis"

"T-Thanks" he said limping towards the wheelchair and sitting down, "Oh Man…..today was one for the books" he said pulling off his mask.

"Yeah…but you proved yourself today McGinnis. You didn't lose your cool, you assessed the situation and you found a way to defeat Bane….you performed well"

"Careful Bruce….that sounded like a complement haha….ouch" went Terry grabbing his sides.

Bruce wheeled Terry over to a metal table.

"Lay down" said Bruce. Terry got up from the wheelchair and he laid down on the table. Bruce went to the side and he picked up a device. He waved the device over Terry's body and when it got to Terry's stomach area it started to beep.

"What is that?"

"You have two fractured ribs"

"Schway…..Battle stories for the ladies" said Terry

"Take off the suit" said Bruce as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some bandages.

* * *

**10 Minutes later**

Bruce finished wrapping up Terry's sides

"Alright…..you need rest and some painkillers…..here I'm injecting you with a special healing cocktail that I invented" said Bruce as he held an injector to Terry's arm and he pressed the button.

"How long does it take to do its thing"

"About two days….you should be good to go by Friday…..go home McGinnis get some sleep"

"Ugh….will do" said Terry hopping off of the table and going to grab his bag with his civilian clothes inside. He grabbed the bag and was about to leave until he remembered something.

"Oh…..Before I forget I learned something today"

"What" asked Bruce looking at him

"I learned that some lady calling herself the Huntress is the leader of the Knightbreed"

Bruce's eyes widen at his comment, but he controlled himself enough not to alert Terry to his shock

"Are you sure…..that is the name that you heard"

"Yeah….they said the name Huntress…..does her name ring a bell" asked Terry looking at Bruce...

"No….I'll look into it" responded Bruce turning around

"Sure" replied Terry turning around as well and leaving the BatCave.

* * *

Bruce waited a few moments making sure that Terry was gone and he went to the Bat Computer again. He sat down in his chair and he typed a few numbers into the computer.

**RING! RING! RING! BEEP! **went the sound of someone answering the phone, but they didn't say anything.

"…..."

"Barbara…..it's me"

"I know…it's just it's been a long time Bruce….a long time" she replied "I take it this isn't a social call…it's never a social call"

"No"

"I knew it"

"We need to talk"

"Yes Bruce we do need to talk….about Batman"

"No….we don't need to talk about Batman….we need to talk about the **Huntress**" said Bruce leaning back into his chair and letting out a sigh.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey readers it's me back again with the closing comments. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It is my greatest hope that everyone enjoyed the little twist to the story that I added involving the new Bane and his origins, and I tried to give a little insight into the Huntress, and the Damian and Yinn relationship in this chapter, but I'll reveal more about her and them as the story progresses. Well my loyal readers that does it for this week I hope you all enjoyed the chapter enough to return for the next installment…remember to leave a review and tell me what you thought, this is Nomad88 saying until next time….**

**Ps: If you haven't read the latest chapter to T.S.A: The Amazing Spider-Man remember to head on over and check it out and leave a review telling me what you thought…..Later.**

**Next up: The Big Date **


	11. The Big Date

**I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these CHARACTERS, I repeat I DO NOT OWN CHARACTERS. In fact all credit goes to DC. DC OWNS EVERYTHING, they are the owners I'm not making any money off of this story I can assure you NO MONEY is being exchanged or handed to me I promise, SO PLEASE find it in your heart NOT TO SUE ME. I ask again PLEASE DO NOT SUE ME….I have no money…..thanks….now on with the story. **

**Hey it's me again I'm back with a brand new chapter and brand new developments. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, so without further delay, please Read, Review(Feedback is Fuel for a writer), and enjoy…..**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Big Date**

**Friday: 1:15 am**

A white expensive hovering limo sat parked in an parking deck, the limo had a license plate on the back and front if it that read: Mayor 1.

**VROOOM VROOOM!** Went the sound of several motorcycles approaching the parking deck. Five different color motorcycles entered the parking deck and drove around the white limo for a minute until they came to a screech stop on the left side of the limo. The doors of the limo opened and several large guys in black suits, shades, and shoes stepped out, each of the large men were carrying automatic weapons and they aimed their weapons at the people on the motorcycles.

The people turned off their engines and took off their helmets and revealed their faces to the men in suits. The people were the Jokerz: Terminal, Dee Dee Twins, Ghoul, Woof, Chucko, and Bonk. They all got off of their bikes and walked forward slightly.

The back door of the limo opened.

"Terminal!" a voice yelled out. Terminal heard his name being called and he walked forward towards the open limo door and he got inside and closed it behind him, leaving his inner circle of Jokerz out there with the armed guards.

"So….do you guys wanna hear a joke" asked Ghoul with a smile.

* * *

**Inside the Limo**

Terminal sat in seat in front of the person who called him. The person that shouted out his name was they Mayor of Neo-Gotham City: Patrick Moore. Patrick Moore was a plump older fellow with gray hair, blue eyes, and a gray mustache. He had a semi tan skin color, and he was wearing a blue business suit. The Mayor folded the paper that was in his hands and he tossed it to the floor next to Terminal's feet. The Mayor had a scowl on his face that showed that he was pissed, but Terminal had a look of indifference on his face, not in the least concerned about the Mayor's mood.

"What the Fuck is your problem" growled the Mayor

"I have many problems…you're gonna have to be more specific" retorted Terminal with a smirk

"You really think this is a time to get cute with me, you ridiculous looking Prick"

Terminal narrowed his eyes at the Mayor

"Because of you and your Antics…..declaring Neo-Gotham as Jokerz City…my popularity has taken a huge dive. We had a deal Terminal…you and your idiots get a section of Neo-Gotham to call your own and stay out of the greater part of Neo-Gotham and I'll make the cops turn their heads in a different directions. A Peaceful Balance. What the Fuck happened" The Mayor demanded

"You tell me…the cops have been coming down on us hard, not to mention the Knightbreed is becoming an increasingly annoying problem and to top it all off Batman is in the picture….I had to do something"

"Oh you did something alright, you're causing my voters to panic and if they panic it will reflect bad on me and if it reflects bad on me guess what you moron I get voted out of office and if that happens it will be bad business all around, have you seen today's paper"

"I don't read the newspaper"

'Figures….in a nutshell Sam Young has gained enormous support since your exploding Jokerz dismantled downtown, I still have the majority vote but now it's at the point where this is anyone's election" said the mayor

"Well I guess you should start kissing babies again" Terminal remarked glancing through one of the windows. The mayor's eyes widen at his comment and he leaned forwards until he was inches away from Terminal's face.

"DON'T YOU GET IT YOU IDIOT…..IF I'M OUT OF OFFICE THE FREE REIGN YOU AND YOUR JOKERZ HAVE HAD IS OVER!"

"So you say"

"What the hell is wrong with you"

"In a nutshell I'm sick of our arrangement…..I'm sick of just the eastside of Neo-Gotham, We want another slice of the pie" said Terminal with narrow eyes

"You are really pushing my buttons….that's not possible"

"Of course it is anything is possible if you put your mind to it…all you have to do is agree to expand our territory and I promise the unrest that I've caused will stop"

"No….. our deal stays the same"

"Well what if I went to the competition" said Terminal looking the mayor is his eyes "What if I went to Sam Young and made him deal and what if he agreed to my terms..….well that would mean…"

"The end of us all" The Mayor interrupted "You have no idea what you're talking about. Sam Young is one of those do-gooder types. He believes that everything should be equal and we should lend people help. He is not going to agree to your deals, plus aren't you guys trying to kill him anyway"

"That was Victor's little ploy….me on the other hand I prefer to strike a deal, but if he refuses then….well whenever someone refuses my offers bad things tend to happen" he said still looking at the Mayor hoping that he caught his meaning.

"Was that…was that an actual threat" asked The Mayor

"Just think about my offer you fat bastard and while you're thinking about it remember our deal was the only reason why you were in the first place and it can be the same reason why you get elected out of office" he replied going towards the limo door. Terminal opened the door and stepped out of the limo.

* * *

Terminal walked away from the limo and towards his entourage. The hired suits put their weapons back into their suits and they all got back into the white limo. The limo engine started up and it flew out of the parking garage and into the Neo-Gotham skyline.

Terminal watched the limo fly away and then he turned to his group.

"Well that was quick….what did he say" asked Ghoul getting back on his motorcycle.

"It seems he needs more convincing" replied Terminal with a smirk "How does causing more chaos sound"

"OOOOOH Dee Dee loves to cause chaos" the twins said and the same time while getting on their motorcycles.

"Good because we're gonna paint this city red….and it won't be with paint" Terminal replied getting back on motorcycle. He put his helmet on his head and started up the engine. The Motorcycle revved to life and Terminal and the Jokerz sped away into the night.

* * *

**Flashback: Years Ago: Hospital **

A young Barbara Gordon gently opened the door that led into a quiet hospital room. Barbara peeked her head in and saw that no one was inside, except for the person laying in the bed hooked up to the machines. Barbara carefully made her way into the room and walked up to the person in the bed, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as her eyes roamed over the body of one of her best friends: Helena Bertinelli aka The Huntress. Helena was severely burned to the point where if you didn't know her you wouldn't recognize her. She was missing all of her hair, an eye and all of limbs where in cast. Helena had machines linked through her mouth and nose and they were the only things keeping her alive. Barbara gently reached out and gingerly placed her hand on Helena's bald head.

"You didn't deserve this…." Started Barbara before she was interrupted

"She was a good soldier" came a voice that Barbara knew all too well. She balled up her fist and turned to the door to see Bruce Wayne standing there leaning against the wall in his usual form fitting black expensive suit.

"She did her duty…..she was a good soldier"

"SHE WAS MORE THAN A FUCKING SOLDIER BRUCE!" Barbara whispered and growled at the same time "NOW LOOK AT HER!'

"I see her"

"NO!" she shouted storming over to him. Barbara grabbed Bruce by the arm and dragged him towards Helena until he was inches from her, "LOOK AT HER YOU BASTARD!"

Bruce looked at Helena, but he didn't let a shred of emotion show through on his face. He kept a neutral expression on his face.

"This has gone too far Bruce…..we have to let the Justice League know…..We have to let Clark…."

"NO!….this is our mess…." Bruce interrupted.

"OUR MESS! OUR MESS! NO THIS IS YOUR MESS!"

"You went along with me Barbara….you all did"

"Because we were all stupid enough to look up to you….to want to be like you…but little did we know that a War would break out"

"It has **ALWAYS** been a war Barbara, why can't any of you understand that….from the beginning I said that I was **Organizing** ….**A War** ….**on crime**…..and in wars…regrettably…..there are casualties. But Helena completed her mission…so like I said she was a good soldier"

Barbara looked at Bruce with wide eyes as he said each statement, and as she looked at him like she was looking at him for the first time and truly seeing who was standing before her.

"You know something Bruce…just this second….this very second I realized….just how truly insane you really are. I never knew…no I won't say never because maybe I knew on a subconscious level but just never wanted to believe it, but I can't believe I didn't see it before. You have some serious mental issues going on in your brain Bruce…you've been holding on to what happened to your parents so tightly that you've snapped…no you've been snapped….you're just completely gone now. You're crazy…but you know what as much as I want to blame you I can't …because maybe I'm crazy too for following you and for talking everyone else into following you as well…but no more…..this war has escalated to a level that I never thought possible...we…." she started to say before the heart monitor that was connected to Helena began to beep rapidly.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! **

Suddenly the doors burst open and several nurses and a doctor rushed into the room and to Helena who had began to convulse.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!" shouted Barbara looking at the scene in horror

"She's Crashing" said Bruce.

"HEY YOU TWO CAN"T BE IN HERE!" shouted a nurse running over to them and nudging them out of the room. Reluctantly Bruce and Barbara exited to the room.

* * *

**Few minutes later**

"Are you two the family" asked the Doctor walking out of the room.

"Yes I'm her sister" Barbara replied instantly, "Doctor is she going to be okay…please tell me that she's going to be okay"

The Doctor let out a sigh and shook his head at Barbara and Bruce.

"Look I'm not going to lie to you…..there is nothing more we can do for her. She has slight brain damage; she has third degree and fourth degree burns, and her internal organs have begun to shut down one by one. I don't know how much more time she has"

"Guess Doctor" said Bruce stoically still not letting any type of emotion through.

"By 8:00 tonight, I suspect that Helena Bertinelli will be dead…..I'm sorry" he said as he gently put a hand on Barbara's shoulder and then walked down the hall.

Barbara stood there, the tears that were welling up, began to fall freely down the side of her face and she began to sob slightly. Bruce hearing the sobs gently reached up and put a hand on her shoulder. She felt his touch and she immediately shoved his hand off.

"I'm not gonna let her die" she said her voice quivering slightly; she angrily wiped the tears from her face and turned to face Bruce, "Did you hear me I said I'm not gonna let her die" determination evident in her voice.

"There's nothing we can do Barbara"

"Would you be saying that if the Penguin was holding the city hostage or to any of those other crazies we fight on a daily basis" Barbara retorted, "Anything is possible especially for us, I'm not gonna let her die too many of us are dead already"

Bruce looked at her and he realized what she was thinking

"Barbara No"

"Yes…it's the only way"

"The Lazarus pit is not an option"

"Yes it is and you are gonna help me sneak her out of here and get her to one"

"No" he replied turning around, but Barbara ran around him and grabbed him by the front his suit jacket and shoved him into the wall.

"Don't you tell me No. You owe me. Plus you if you plan on cleaning up this giant mess of ours you're gonna need help and I'm not gonna help you until you help me"

"She will be changed forever Barbara. You know that"

"But she'll be alive. I'll watch her…I'll be responsible for her"

"That's a tall order Barbara one that you won't be able to fill I promise you"

"Spare me the know it all Bullshit and say you'll help me"

Bruce stared at her long and hard and he realized that he did need her help, so he let out a sigh and he nodded his head at her.

"Good..." she said letting him go and turning around and walking back into the room. Bruce straightened his suit and he watched her go back into the room, he let out another sigh and he looked down at the ground. After a few seconds he turned around and walked down the hall and out of the hospital.

* * *

**Present: Young Residence: 2:30am**

In the garage of the modest two story house Barbara Gordon Young was in her workout gear. She had on sweatpants, a black tank top and her hair was pulled into a ponytail.

"HEEEYAAAH!" she shouted slamming her escrima sticks onto the wooden practice dummy that was in front of her. Barbara took a step back and then jumped and kicked the dummy and then proceed to do an intricate set of attacks with her sticks. Barbara was focus on one thing and that was hurting the dummy that was in front of her. Ever since Bruce had called her wanting to talk about the Huntress she had been having flashbacks of different events from the past that had left a bitter taste in her mouth and her heartbroken in places that would probably never be repaired. Over and over they played in her mind and the more they played the harder she hit the dummy.

**BAM! BAM! BAM! CRACK!** Went the sound of Barbara hitting the practice dummy so hard with the sticks that the head snapped off and rolled along the ground. Barbara was breathing hard and heavy as she watched the head roll across the ground. She dropped her sticks and collapsed to her knees in sadness.

"Penny for your thoughts pretty lady" came a voice from behind her.

Barbara jumped at the sound and she turned around to see her husband Sam Young standing there in the doorway watching her.

"Oh Sam…..I didn't wake you did I" she asked straightening up. Sam walked towards her and sat down next to her.

"Yeah you kinda did, but I don't mind….what's bothering you" he asked

"Nothing" she replied looking away.

"Must be something… you only knock off Fred's head when there is something seriously bothering you"

"You named my practice dummy Fred" she replied smiling a little

"I did….doesn't he look like a Fred"

Barbara's smile grew a little bigger at his joke. A moment passed between the husband and wife, where neither said anything, Barbara glanced out of the corner of her eye at Sam and she finally broke the silence.

"I couldn't sleep"

"Yeah I noticed"

"I…the other day I had to think about something. Something that I hadn't thought of in decades. Something that I've tried my hardest to bury deep down inside, but no matter how many times I bury it….."

"It always seems to find the light of day" Sam finished looking into her green eyes.

"Exactly" she whispered "And everytime it comes back it makes me feel…"

"Barbara anytime you try to hide or bury something the more it will plague and torment you, the only sure fire way to bring peace to a problem that causing so much inner turmoil is let it go….and the best way to do that is talk about it, put it out in the open"

"But I….I don't want to….."

"I know you don't want to but if this problem has been bugging you for decades and all you've been doing is reburying it and it still comes back, doesn't that mean you need to try a different approach"

"…..you've got a point….but it's just…I-I'm not ready. Sam…there are something's about me that I haven't told you. There are some deep dark skeletons in my closest…..that I'm not ready to share with you…with anyone" she replied looking down at the ground.

"Well Barbara, my beautiful wife, when you're ready…..I'll be here to listen. I promise" said Sam with a smile. Barbara turned to him and looked at him. She stared into his eyes and she could feel the Love he had for her in waves. Barbara leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips. Breaking apart for a second she looked at him again and then she leaned in again and kissed him more passionately, and suddenly like water bursting from a dam deep inside her Barbara intensified the kiss. She threw her weight into the fierce kiss and landed on top of her husband who was kissing her back just as fiercely and just as passionately. The two lovers began to grip each other tightly as they started to go further. Barbara broke apart and began to kiss Sam's neck all the while grabbing at his night shirt and ripping it open. While she was doing that Sam reached down to the end of her tank top and he yanked it over her head.

* * *

**Neo-Gotham Harbor: 3:30am**

Two figures moved through the shadows of the night and towards the Neo-Gotham Harbor. The two figures landed on top a crate and they both peeked over. The first figure was Damian Wayne who was garbed his Gray Ghost persona and the other was Yinn who was in his black and red karate gi and the black mask covering his eyes. The Gray Ghost pulled out a set of goggles from his pouch and he put them on. He pressed the right side of the lens and it changed to green and a layout of the harbor was shown through the lenses.

The Gray Ghost scanned the harbor until his eyes landed on a green submarine. He pressed the side of the lens again and his view instant zoomed in and he could see men in green snake themed costumes getting into the submarine

"What do you see Sir" asked Yinn from behind him.

"They're here. I was right they haven't left Gotham yet, but it looks like they're about to"

"Do you think they have the nerve gas"

"Only one way to find out Yinn. We have to get aboard that sub" he said taking his goggles off.

"How did I know you were going to say that sir. You do know that I have an intense dislike of the water" replied Yinn in an annoyed voice.

"I know Yinn which is why we need to get on the sub before they submerge….let's go" said The Gray Ghost jumping off the side. Yinn let out a sigh and jumped over the side as well.

* * *

"ALRIGHT LET'S GO LORD KOBRA IS EXPECTING US!" yelled one the kobra henchmen as he pointed to the submarine entrance. The group of Kobra henchman on the outside of the submarine all began to make their way to the entrance but they all had to take a step back as black smoke bombs began to go off around them.

**BOOM BOOM BOOM** went the smoke pellets as they hit the ground making smoke blow everywhere causing confusion amongst the henchman.

"ARGH!" yelled out one henchman as he was grabbed and pulled into the thick smoke.

"FIRE AT WILL!" someone shouted out. The Kobra henchman began to shoot wildly into the smoke. Suddenly from the smoke a man in a Gray Ghost jumped out with kick that nailed the nearest henchman in the face sending him crashing into two of his friends. The Gray Ghost rushed the next henchman and knocked his weapon out of his hands and delivered a devastating uppercut that lifted him off of his feet. As the Gray Ghost was fighting a henchman came up behind him and tried to shoot him but his gun was knocked away by another man in a black mask. Yinn grabbed the man and kneed him the stomach and then flipped him on his back and punched him in the face. Yinn then looked up and flipped to his next opponent and jumped and turn in the air and kicked him in the mouth. In tandem and like a well oiled machine The Gray Ghost and Yinn fought side by side and made shot work of the gathered henchmen. The black smoke that filled the air blew away and reveal that the henchman were now unconscious. The Gray Ghost and Yinn looked at each other and nodded and they rushed towards the submarine entrance. The reached the entrance and they quickly dropped down to the inside.

* * *

**Inside the Submarine**

"INTRU…" started a henchman as he saw the Gray Ghost dropped to the ground, but before he could finish his sentence he received a fist to the face knocking him out. Yinn landed next to the Gray Ghost. They both saw that there were two paths one to the left and the other to the right, the Gray Ghost turned to Yinn.

"Split up….quickly and quietly…if you find the gas let me know"

"Yes sir" replied Yinn as he sped down the path to the right. The Gray Ghost watched him disappear down the path and then he turned to his path and he ran.

The Gray Ghost chopped a Kobra Henchman in the neck knocking him out before he even realized he was there. The Gray Ghost turned a corner and found himself in the communication center of the Submarine. He saw a henchman with his back turned typing into the computer. The Gray Ghost approached him carefully and then turned the chair around and grabbed him by the front of his costume tightly

"INTRUDER!" the henchman shouted

"NO One is coming…they're all unconscious, so it's just me and you"

"I won't tell you anything" he said defiantly

"Yes. You. Will" the Gray Ghost said with emphasis on every word, "Now where is the nerve gas"

"…."

The Gray Ghost raised his metal gloved fist and punched the henchman in the nose drawing blood

"ARGH!"

"WHERE IS THE NERVE GAS!"

"IT"S GONE! ….It was destroyed Batman blew it up weeks ago"

"All of it" asked The Gray Ghost

"YES!"

"What is Kobra still doing here if this happened weeks ago"

"Please….I can't…they'll kill me"

"You should've thought of that before you joined a terrorist organization now TELL ME!" he growled raising his fist again.

"We're here because General Zander was infected with the nerve gas"

"Zander?...Zander is in Gotham"

"Yes….he got infected with the nerve gas but he didn't die he was changed….changed into something not of this world"

"WHERE IS HE!"

"…"

"WHERE!"

**POW!** Went the sound a gun going off

"ACK!" gasped the henchman as a energy shot pierced his skull killing him. The Gray Ghost turned to see the henchman he knocked out with his gun raised.

"ALL HAIL KOBRA!" he shouted before putting the gun to his head and pulling the trigger killing himself.

"NO!" shouted the Gray Ghost in shock of the henchman's actions. The Gray Ghost dropped the body of the henchman and he let out a sigh of frustration. A few seconds later Yinn made his way into the communication center and he saw Gray Ghost sitting down in the chair and he saw the dead bodies on the ground. Yinn calmly walked over to him.

"Sir I searched the vessel there is no nerve gas aboard"

"It was destroyed Yinn…all of it was destroyed the night Batman got here so he actually did us a favor"

"This is good right….Powers doesn't have anymore nerve gas. Does that mean we're leaving Gotham" said Yinn

"No we're not leaving…..not yet. We have to make sure Powers will not make anymore of the nerve gas and…..Zander is in Gotham" he said turning his head in Yinn's direction.

"Zander is here…finally a challenge" said Yinn with a smirk

"I thought the same thing too, until this guy here told me that Zander was infected the nerve gas…..but it didn't kill him…. the gas changed him"

"Changed him into what"

"That is the Million credit question isn't it" said the Gray Ghost standing up and walking past Yinn, "Let's go…..sun is almost up….time to get some sleep. We'll resume our search tonight"

"Yes sir" replied Yinn following behind him.

* * *

_**TV. **_

_GOOD MORNING NEO-GOTHAM IT IS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING, with clear skies and a temperature of 76 degrees so get out and enjoy the sun. I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always is Kim Warren._

_Kim: Thanks Tom. Today's top story. An anonymous tip alerted the authorities to the Neo-Gotham Harbor where at least 30 Kobra Terrorist enthusiasts were apprehended. Also one of their vessels has been apprehended a submarine, where upon inspection the NGCPD found a cache of illegal weapons ranging from: Bombs, Missiles, and firearms._

_Tom: Aside from two dead Kobra members there were no other causalities so whoever you are Mr. Anonymous thank you for your tip. In other news DA Sam Young who is currently running for Mayor of this great city has seen a huge surge in supporters. It seems that the people of Neo-Gotham are in agreement, it is time for a change._

_Kim: Though down in support but not out our current Mayor Patrick Moor. The Mayor has called a press conference outside of City Hall this morning we now take you to the conference._

* * *

**City Hall**

_Mayor Moore- My fellow citizens I hear your cries for change and I hear your cries for a better city, but while you're crying out for better management and better leadership think back to a few years ago when our city was so over run with crime that people were afraid to go out in the day as well as the night. Think about that and then think what happened when I took the office. Through my plans and close association with the NGCPD the streets were cleaned up tremendously and we were able to walk out in the day and the night again. Sure in the past couple of months things have been on the rocky side, but this is a small rough patch in an long era of Peace and Balance. Why do we want to challenge that by bringing in someone different? Someone who may seem like he's suited for the job, but may not be qualified as he would like for you to believe. I admit the atrocities that the Jokerz have committed will be taken care of swiftly and immediately but also let's not forget the true problem behind the Jokerz antics. The Jokerz are an evil bunch but they are an evil bunch that has to be provoked, and who has been provoking these Jokerz to attack, the Knightbreed. The Knightbreed are true problem going around killing anyone they deem to be a criminal. One sparks another attack which in turn sparks another attack. If we can get rid of this Knightbreed problem then we can get rid of the Jokerz problem. I have the solution Neo Gotham, but I can't fix the problem if I'm out of office. So ladies and Gentlemen I urge you to vote me in for another term. I promise this rough patch will pass, but only if we have the right leader._

* * *

_Kim: Your thoughts Tom_

_Tom: He does have a point Kim. The Knightbreed are an instigating bunch, could they have been the reason why the Jokerz attacked downtown, because of an attack that they committed_

_Kim: All we can do is speculate Tom_

_Tom: That's right Kim that's all we can do, but one thing is clear though both groups have got to go and they have to go now….more news when we come back._

* * *

**Gibson Residence: 8:00 am**

"What a load of Bullshit" said Max while watching the news

"Maxine language" said her Father as he walked into the kitchen.

"But it is Dad" she replied angrily "He's talking like the Jokerz are a nice bunch and they only attack if you attack them…I can personally call BULLSHIT on that one" said Max strongly folding her arms across her chest.

"That is true, but it's also true that the Knightbreed are also a source of concern too. Roaming the streets killing people left and right"

"If you ask me they both should be dealt with, but I think the Jokerz should come first"

Max's Dad walked towards the refrigerator, but as he reached it he noticed that Friday was circled in red, and it had the words: The Big Date on it in red.

"Max….what is The Big Date"

"Just what it says Dad…the Big Date…I've got a date tonight and it's big" replied Max before she realized how she worded the statement to her Dad, her eyes widened and she looked at him in embarrassment, "What I mean is that I have a Date tonight"

"Is it with that guy that walked you home couple weeks ago" he asked scrunching up his face.

"Yeah it is…what's the problem I've gone out on dates before"

"I don't know…." He started before Max interrupted him.

"He's a really great guy, you just need to give him a chance" said Max

"I didn't say that he wasn't a great guy….it's just…you and dating a strange guy" he said opening the refrigerator and getting out some orange juice.

"Dad I'll be fine, I promise. I really like him"

"What was his name again" he asked

"Brian Milwood"

"Where does he go to school"

"He goes…goes to uh….you know I don't know"

"Okay, does he have a job"

"Uh…..I don't know"

"Does he have a family?"

'Yes he does he has mother and a sister"

"What are their names?"

"Uh…I don't know"

"Sounds like I'm not the only one that needs to get to know him"

"…..look I know he's a good guy okay"

"Didn't he walk you home, what did you guys talk about"

"I did most of the talking"

"Ah…well we know he's a pretty smart guy" said Max's Dad smiling

"Funny. Look I'll make sure to find out all of this stuff on our Date tonight okay….so don't wait up. I gotta go by Daddy" said Max going over to her father and kissing him on the cheek.

"Alright by Sweetie, but please….please be careful"

"Daddy don't worry I'll be fine" she said grabbing her bookbag and leaving the house.

* * *

**Wayne Manor: 2:30 pm**

A non-descriptive police car pulled up in front of the Wayne Manor Gates. Barbara Gordon leaned back in her seat and let out a sigh. She turned her gaze to the Manor that was behind the gates, and memories began to flood her mind. Good memories of a time that would be most cherished in her heart, and bad memories that broke her heart in ways that even she didn't understand.

"Well Barbara…..let's get this over with" she said to herself while opening the door. She closed her door and she walked to the gates. Before she even got to the gates they opened. Barbara entered through the gates and began to walk along the path that she had walked dozens of times before. Barbara made her way to the front doors and was about to knock when she saw that the door was already cracked open. She pushed the door open and a black dog came running towards her barking.

**WOOF WOOF WOOF**

"ACE DOWN!" shouted a voice. The barking dog immediately stopped running. Barbara looked at the dog, and then walked to where she heard the voice. She round the corner and she saw Bruce sitting in on the couch in the large living room. Bruce's eyes locked with hers and they stared at each other for a second.

"Hello Barbara" said Bruce

"Bruce" she replied making her way over to the couch and sitting down. She sat down and she let out a sigh and she began to rub her eyes.

"Nice attack dog" she said turning to him

"Not really" he replied with a smirk, "How have you been"

"Good as can be"

"Your husband Sam Young. He's a good man, I've been following along with..." he began trying to start a conversation, but Barbara interuppted him.

"I know, but we're not here to talk about him, we're hear to talk about..."

"The Huntress"

"What about her…why even ask after all of these years"

"She's the leader of the Knightbreed"

"WHAT!" shouted Barbara in complete shock

"That's the same reaction I had" Replied Bruce still looking at her. Barbara looked and him and then leaned back into the couch.

"Damn. Damn, Damn, Damn" she swore under her breather while rubbing her hands across her face.

"Barbara. Is there any chance that the person leading the Knightbreed is not Helena Bertinelli"

"There's always a chance that it's not her, but….more than likely its her, now that I think about the Knightbreeds tactics, and color scheme" she said.

"GODDAMNIT BARBARA!" roared Bruce

"DON'T YELL AT ME!"

"WHY NOT YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS DEAD! YOU TOLD ME SHE DIED! YOU LIED TO ME!"

"No I didn't, I simply took a page out of your book…I told you what you wanted to hear" she growled back at him

"No you didn't you lied"

"No I didn't, I told you that Helena Bertinelli was Dead".

Bruce balled up his fist and gave her one of his famous hard stares that usually made people quiver with fear, but Barbara Gordon had long ago stop being afraid of Bruce and she gave him one her own glares.

"Doesn't feel good when someone doesn't tell you the full truth does it Bruce"

"I only did that to try to protect all of you. There is a difference between wanting to know the truth and needing to know the truth"

"There you go again with that know it all Bullshit. You can try to re-word it all you like, but the facts still remain you used to lie to us all the time. Well…now the shoe is on the other foot"

"Tell me the truth" he demanded

"Why…so you can tell me how right you were. I'll spare you the trouble. You were right okay. You were right. YOU! WERE! **RIGHT!** DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY!" she roared standing up anger in her eyes. Bruce looked at the visibly upset Barbara and he let out a sigh and leaned back into the couch. Barbara took a deep breathe and then sat back down on the couch.

"God" she said in a defeated tone. She rubbed her eyes again and then she glanced at Bruce who was looking down at the floor.

"Do you really want to know…..or do you just need to know" she asked

"I need to know…..so I can take responsibility for her actions as well" he said

"No. This is my fault"

"Yes it is your fault, but ultimately this all falls on Me. So please Barbara, what happened." he asked.

"…I try not to think about it but. Okay. It was about 26 years ago. It was at night…"

* * *

**Flashback: About 26 Years ago**

_Older Barbara: It was at night. It was raining. Helena was out on her own killing thugs, petty thieves, pretty much any one who even looked at her wrong. I finally tracked her down and…_

* * *

"HELENA!" shouted Barbara as she landed on the rooftop. She was dressed in her Batgirl uniform. Helena stood stock still with her back turned a few feet away from her with her head raised in the air. Letting the rain pelt her face.

"HELENA!" Barbara shouted again

Helena opened her eyes and turned around.

"You are out of control…I'm here to help you"

"LIAR!" Helena roared "You're here to try to talk me out of his '_path_' that I'm walking. Right. You're trying to talk some sense into me and get to the inner Helena. Well Batgirl…Barbara... Helena Bertinelli is dead…whatever she was died with her family. She died when Zinda was murdered. She died when Dinah was murdered. She died when Hank was murdered, and she died when Dawn was murdered, and now with what happened to Charlotte…..there is no more Helena Bertinelli there is only the Huntress and she hunts those that prey upon the weak"

"Sis…." Started Batgirl softly

"DON"T YOU EVER CALL ME THAT!" Huntress roared and as if the elements were attuned to her mood lightening struck as she yelled, "YOU LOST THAT PRIVELAGE THE MOMENT YOU TURNED YOUR BACK ON US!"

"I didn't turn my back…We have to be better…..we don't kill"

"THAT'S THE PROBLEM. THEY KNOW THAT! NO MATTER WHAT WE DO THEY KNOW WE WILL NEVER GIVE THEM THE PUNISHMENT THAT THEY DESERVE DON'T YOU SEE THAT!"

"Helena"

"NO BARBARA. I'M FUCKING TIRED OF THIS UPHILL BATTLE IT'S TIME TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO THEM!"

"I-I know where you're coming from…believe me I do…after what happened to my Father. I just wanted to kill the person responsible…..but I remembered…we have to take a better path. There is a better way to doing things than killing"

"You're a fool Barbara…always have been. DO you think Dick would still agree with you, because I'm sure if he did he would be at your side right now"

"….."

"But then again I don't think he would want anything to do with you or Batman after walking in on the two of you" said Helena with a smirk. Barbara's eyes widen at her comment

"Shut up" she said balling up her fist.

"You know he waited for you…..waited for you to get your legs back…..I mean we all knew you would find a way to get your legs working again I mean you are Barbara Gordon after all right…..and he waited for you...and once you got them back who should he find you with….You should've seen the hurt and betrayal in his eyes, when he saw the two of you making sweet, sweet music together. Every thrust..."

"Shut up" said Barbara

"Every Moan"

"Shut up"

"I knew you never truly loved him Barbara, but no matter how many times I tried to tell him, he wouldn't listen. No matter how many times I told him I loved him. He only had eyes for you….too bad you only had eyes for someone else….how's that relationship working out by the way"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" shouted Barbara

"Or what Barb…I don't take orders from you anymore. That time is over. This City is in need of new crime management….time for the Huntress to reign supreme…now out of my way" said Helena raising her arm and her crossbow at Batgirl. Batgirl's eyes widen, but then they narrowed

"So this is how it's gonna end between us…all of our time together…..the adventures we've had, the bond that we've shared…..this is how it's going to end"

"It doesn't have to end this way…..you could always join me"

"I will never cross that line"

"Well then this conversation is moot then" said Helena finger tightening on the crossbow trigger.

"I….I saved you life"

"You should've let me die"

The two female warriors stood there boring into each others eyes. One was filled with hurt and regret, the other filled with rage and fury. The rain fell down even harder drenching them even further.

* * *

_Older Barbara: What happened next was without a shadow of a doubt the hardest battle of my life_

* * *

**THROOM! **Went the lightening and that's when it happened. Helena pulled the trigger and an arrow flew forward. The arrow zoomed towards Batgirl's head, she managed to shift her head out of the way but the arrow grazed her cheek. Huntress rushed forward and delivered a bone shaking punch to Batgirl's mouth drawing blood in the process. Huntress then grabbed her by the front of her costume and brought her in for a head butt striking her in the nose drawing blood again. Huntress then punched her in the stomach and then delivered a knee to her face knocking her back and to the ground in a heap. Batgirl hit the ground hard.

"Ugh" she groaned. Huntress jumped in the air and was about to bring a knee down on Batgirl's stomach, but as she neared Batgirl rolled out of the way, making her miss. Huntress turned her head in time to see Batgirl get to her feet and rush forward. Batgirl rammed her knee into Huntress's face making her stumble back. The Huntress spun around and recovered and lifted her crossbow again and fired, but Batgirl pulled out a batarang and threw it knocking the arrow out of the way. Batgirl ran forward and delivered a haymaker to Huntress chin, Huntress took the blow and responded with a kick that Batgirl blocked, but she missed the hook punch the Huntress threw. Batgirl flipped backwards to create some space, but Huntress would not let up, and ran after her. Huntress ran forward and jumped in the air with a kick, Batgirl ducked under the kick and spun around with a leg sweep. Huntress cartwheeled over the sweep and landed in a crouch, she pulled out a blade and thrusted it forward aiming her opponents heart. Batgirl deflected the thrust and knocked the knife out of Huntress hand and elbow her in the nose as hard as she could breaking her nose.

"GAH!" grunted the Huntress in pain, she responded by grabbing Batgirl's horns and bringing her into an elbow of her own breaking her nose in the process. Batgirl fighting through the pain delivered a powerful thrust kick to Huntress stomach knocking the wind out her; she then did a flip and kick her in the chin. Batgirl sprung backwards a few steps creating some space and she fell to a knee breathing heavily. The rain was falling even heavier now and the air was cold. Batgirl stared at the Huntress who spit out some blood on the ground. Both were hurt, bleeding, and had broken noses, but neither was going to quit.

"RAHHH!" cried the two female warriors as they charged at the other. Huntress fired two arrows and Batgirl threw two batarangs. Batgirl dodged the first arrow, but the other one hit and stuck into her arm. The Huntress dodge one of the batarangs, but the other got stuck in her thigh, but despite the injuries both warriors continued to charge until they both struck each other with a punch in the face.

"HEEEYAH!" shouted Huntress recovering first and throwing a left hook that connected, Batgirl took the punch and responded with a right hook. Huntress stumbled but returned with a quick chop to the throat with her left hand then a strong punch with her right hand that brought Batgirl down to a knee. Batgirl gagged for a second before turning and throwing a palm strike to Huntress injured thigh, earning a groan of pain. Batgirl then did a palm strike to Huntress stomach, causing her to hunch over in pain, Batgirl then brought her head up and struck her in the chin causing her to fall back to the ground with a splash. Batgirl fell backwards as well and fell into a puddle.

They laid there for a second; Batgirl forced herself to roll over. She looked and saw that Huntress was already trying to fight her way to her feet but she was exhausted as well. Batgirl slowly reached for her utility belt and pulled out two green balls from a pouch. She quickly threw the balls towards Huntress where a cloud of green smoke engulfed her for a second before she fell to the ground. Batgirl let out a sigh and fell back down the ground again

'_Knockout gas…..thank God I chose to bring it'_ she thought to herself as she forced herself to sit up and then stand up. Swaying slightly she slowly made her way over to the unconscious Huntress.

* * *

_Older Barbara: In retrospect I should've known that I could not have beaten her with knockout gas._

* * *

Just as she got close enough the Huntress quickly turned over. She had on a black mouth breather to protect her from the gas. Huntress lifted her arm and pulled the trigger. The arrow released and nailed Batgirl in the shoulder.

"ARGH!" she yelled stumbling back, but while she stumbled she managed to throw a batarang at the crossbow destroying it. Huntress tossed the crossbow away and then threw the breather to the ground; with every ounce of strength she could muster she got to her feet and charged at her injured opponent. Huntress did a palm strike to the chin, a punch to the face, a kick to the thigh; the Huntress punched the end of the arrow and pushed it further into Batgirl's shoulder

"ARGH!" she grunted. Batgirl cracked open an eye and saw Huntress charging again and threw a strike. Batgirl blocked the first attack but missed the second powerful strike. Batgirl stumbled back even further until she hit the edge of the roof. She glanced behind her and saw there was no where to go but down, and that's when she made up her mind. She turned back to Huntress who was walking towards her. The Huntress grabbed Batgirl by the horns again and lifted her face up. Huntress geared up for another punch when Batgirl threw a chop to the throat and then and then grabbed her by cape, with every shred of strength she had left Batgirl wrapped her arms around the Huntress and held her tight and then jumped over the edge. Both fighters fell over the edge and to the cold, wet ground below.

* * *

**BAM!** The sound echoed throughout the area as they crashed onto the roof of a parked car denting it.

"AUGHHHH!" went Batgirl as she spit up some blood. She cracked open an eye to see the Huntress right next to her, with her eyes closed. Batgirl weakly reached her hand up and towards Huntress's neck and felt for a pulse. She found that there was small but faint pulse. Batgirl tried to push herself up but she couldn't she felt her eyes grow heavy and then blackness overtook her.

* * *

_Older Barbara: It was about 15 minutes later before I woke up_

* * *

"Ugh" Batgirl groaned cracking open a swollen eye and her eyes widen as best as they could. Batgirl saw a bruised, beaten looking Charlotte Radcilffe in a rain drenched hospital gown, holding bloodied Huntress in her arms, crying uncontrollably.

"Ch-Charlotte…" Batgirl groaned out

"Damn you Barbara…DAMN YOU TO HELL!" she shouted before she and Huntress disappeared in a flash of pink. Batgirl slowly pushed herself up and looked at the spot where the last two members of the Birds of Prey were, her sisters were gone, and they were gone for good.

"Damn it" said Batgirl under breath, "DAMN IT!" she shouted to the heavens and the tears that she tried to hold back, feel freely…as she laid back down on the car roof and she cried, she cried her eyes out despite the huge amount of pain that racked her body.

**THUD!** Went a sound. Batgirl slowly lifted her head and she saw Batman on the hood of the car.

"Barbara are you alright" he asked

"I-I….I failed Damian"

"Where is she…."

"She's….she's gone….she's dead"

"Where's her body" asked Batman

"Misfit took her…..she took the body" said Batgirl pushing herself up. She pulled the mask off of her beaten and bloodied face.

"Jesus" whispered Batman looking at her; it looked like she had been through hell and back.

"I'm done…..I…..I can't do this anymore. I'm out. You tell Bruce I said that. I don't ever want to see him or this fucking costume again" she growled out ripping the mask off the costume and tossing it to Batman's feet. Barbara gingerly pushed herself off the edge of the car and she landed with a thud on the ground.

"ARGH!" she groaned in pain.

"Let' me help you" said Batman going over to her, but she pushed him away

"NO! I don't need anymore help from Batman. I can manage" she said defiantly pushing herself to her feet. She turned and was about to walk away but before she did she glanced over shoulder.

"It's just you now Damian…you…..and him" she said while turning back around and then limping away into the night.

* * *

**Present: Wayne Manor**

"After that night I knew…..I knew I could never look at that costume again, I could never look at you again. I tried my best to distance myself from all things crime fighting but…..I couldn't stay away, it was at that point I went into the police force."

"So Misfit came and took her away"

"Yeah, but I'm sure she was still alive. If I survived that fall, so did she" said Barbara, "I will never forget that day….it is forever etched into my mind"

"For what it's worth Barbara…..I'm sorry"

Barbara looked at him and she could see the sincerity on his face.

"I know Bruce…I'm sorry too. I said some things….that I shouldn't have….I know you never planned for any of this to happen…..but.."

"But it did happen"

**SLAM! **

WOOF WOOF

"DOWN YOU STUPID DOG!" shouted a voice

"ACE DOWN!" shouted Bruce

"GODDAMN THAT DOG OLD MAN..." started Terry before he walked into the living room and he saw Barbara sitting there with Bruce.

"Uh….am I interrupting something"

"No" said Bruce

"I was just leaving…..McGinnis Right" said Barbara remembering him.

"Yeah. Uh…Commissioner Gordon" he replied

Barbara shot a glance at Bruce who looked back at her. She let out a sigh and then stood up, She walked towards him and gave him a quick once over before passing him and walking out of the Mansion

"What the hell was that about?"

"Nothing" Bruce replied quickly

"No No it wasn't nothing did the two of you have a Big Date or something"

"Or something" he replied "Go ahead and start your training"

"Fine" he said going towards the clock where the secret entrance to the cave was located. Bruce stood up and walked to the window and he saw Barbara walking along the path and towards her car. She turned for a second and looked back at the Mansion and then she turned and walked towards her car and got in and drove away.

* * *

**Batcave**

Terry made his way down the winding stairs until he was in the Batcave. He tossed his bag down to the ground and he looked around the cave, and then he looked up at the stairs.

'_Gotta move quick'_ he thought to himself as he ran over to the Bat Computer. He pressed a few buttons and it turned on.

He turned around but he didn't see Bruce

"Okay let's see here who the Hell is the Huntress" he said to himself as he type into the computer. The information popped up on the screen instantly as he finished typing.

"Helena Bertinelli…..known as the Huntress in the group Birds of Prey. Next in chain of command after Black Canary aka Dinah Lance, and…..Oracle/Batgirl….Barbara Gordon"

"THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" roared Bruce from behind him

Terry turned around to him

"Just gathering information that you didn't want to share with me….I told you old Man if we are gonna do this we need full disclosure…..So that was Batgirl…..Commissioner Gordon was Batgirl"

"Yes….she was….a long time ago"

"What we're you guys talking about"

"None of your business…go do your training" said Bruce gruffly while walking to the Bat Computer and sitting down.

"None my business"

"Isn't that what I said?"

"Fine. Forget about the Commissioner, what about the Huntress, this Helena Bertinelli who is she"

Bruce let out a sigh knowing that Terry wasn't going to let up unless he told him something, and then he remember what Barbara said about him always lying to the people around him. He glanced at Terry and then back at the screen.

"She was an ex-employee of mine that…went rogue"

"Went Rogue"

"She went insane…..partially because she was exposed to something no one should be exposed to and because her family was murdered"

"Well I guess that would making anyone go insane…..so this insane ex-employee of yours…..she has to be about your age right"

"Only in the mind….but physical wise I suspect she's still in her prime. A women in her mid thirties"

"Was she a good fighter"

"You have no idea…..which is why we need to up your training, for when you meet her"

"Don't you mean if"

Bruce glanced at him

"Right…when I meet her" said Terry "Hey wait does she know your identity"

"No. In all the years she was my employee she never knew my identity only a select few knew"

"Oh"

"Start your training McGinnis…..the soft introductory levels are over, you have to be prepared" said Bruce typing into the computer and the training platform began to glow for a second. Terry walked towards the training platform and stood in the middle. Suddenly the 3D image of the young Bruce popped up.

"You have learned a sufficient amount in your time Bruce but you still need to learn a lot more. We need to take things a step further" said the young Bruce. He got into a stance and he charged at Terry and threw a punch. The punch connected and released a shock through Terry's body.

"RAHHH!" he shouted falling down

"W-What the hell man"

"Don't Get hit McGinnis" came the older Bruce's voice. Terry grunted as he stood up and faced the program, he got into a fighting stance and readied himself

"Okay…bring it"

* * *

**That Night: Hamilton University: 8:05pm**

Max stood leaning against one of the walls that was outside of Hamilton University. She was patiently waiting for Brian to show up, but he was running late. Max let out a sigh of frustration and folded her arms.

"Dammit where is he" she said to herself. She turned to the right and she saw him making his way over to her. HE was wearing a black shirt and jeans with a casual jacket thrown over his shoulders.

"Hope you were waiting too long Max" he said.

"No…..but promptness is a quality that I like in my guys"

"Yeah sorry about that, I had to take care of something that took longer than expected. So…shall we get the Big Date" he said holding out his arm.

"Thought you'd never ask" she replied linking her arm with his.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's Cleaners: Underground Chamber**

"YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT!' shouted Evan in shock

"Do not raise your voice to the Mistress" came Vanquish voice with an edge

"Forgive my tone but you're asking me to kill my best friend…that is something I can not do….he's…he's like my brother, My family" said Evan looking up at the Huntress. Hearing him describe the relationship between him and Evan, made her ball up her fist in anger.

"You have a new family now Cloak…..one that needs your full commitment or have you forgotten about the mark you wear on your arm".

"I haven't forgotten but….you're asking me to betray the only friend I have in this world"

"You have us now….we are the only friends you need. He is too weak to do what is necessary in the face of evil" said Huntress.

"He's not weak…he's just focused. I believe that once Terminal is dead he will be much more susceptible, to killing ordinary thugs. Just give him a chance…..let me talk to him"

"…."

"Please….you need him, and you need us…Our numbers have taken a hit, Dagger and I are some of your best fighters that are still standing you need us, please Mistress let me talk to him"

Huntress put her hand to her face and thought about what Cloak just said. There was some truth to his statement. Their numbers were down and she needed all the best fighters she could get.

"Fine…..talk to him. Tell him he needs to get with the program. The next assignment I send him on I want him to kill…..and if he doesn't then I'll kill you….am I making myself clear"

"Crystal" said Evan swallowing hard.

"Now leave me"

Evan didn't waste any time standing up and rushing out of the chambers, and then out of the cleaners.

* * *

**Jazz Joint: 9:00 pm**

Sitting at the table enjoying a meal was Brian and Max, both had been casually talking about different things and the more time they spent together the more they like each other, they felt a kindred spirit in the other.

"Okay…..I gotta ask….what is it that you do"

"Say what now" asked Brian looking at her

"What is it that you do, I mean I got to school full time, but I don't know what you do"

"I work odd jobs….so too speak. Right now I'm working with a construction company that's being put to work to rebuild downtown"

"Why are you doing that...not saying it's not a good job but, shouldn't you be in school?"

"No I wouldn't be able to focus in school. There is something on my mind that just…won't leave me alone until I do it…..it's an all consuming thought" he said cryptically while looking down at his food.

"….well what is this thing"

Brian smirked at her, mostly because of her curious nature.

"I might tell you one day….just not today" replied with a smile. As they went back to eating the music began to pick up and Max heard it and she recognized the song.

"OH I like this song….let's dance" she said getting up and grabbing his hand. He complied with her request and got up with her, and the two began to dance to the upbeat jazz tempo.

Max and Brian laughed and giggled at each other as they dance trying to keep up to the tempo of the music. Brain brought Max close and he dipped her causing her to laugh. Brain then pulled her up and spun her around. The two young adults continued to dance and laugh as the music played throughout the Jazz Joint.

* * *

**Streets of Gotham**

Walking down the street in the brisk breeze Max and Brian held hands and continued to talk. After dancing they finished up their meal and decided to have a nice stroll. So far their walk was peaceful and romantic, but just as they started up a new conversation. Brain looked up and around, and he saw two people behind them and two people walking in front of them, and these were no ordinary people thought, they were jokerz.

"Brian" said Max in confusion because she had asked him a question and he didn't answer

"Stay Calm" he replied to her. She looked to where he was looking and she gasped as she saw the Jokerz, memories of that time she ran into some jokerz came flooding back to her instantly and she began to tremble slightly, but a firm squeeze from Brian caused her to look up at him. He looked her in the eyes.

"Don't worry…..I'll protect you" he said with conviction.

"Well lookie what we have….UGH!" went the jokerz member as he relieved a punch to the face by Brian. The joker went down like a ton of bricks. Brian from there brought up his leg and kicked the one next him in the stomach sending him flying back crashing to the floor. Brian turned and saw the other two running towards Max.

"MAX! DUCK!" he shouted. The Jokerz lunged at Max but she ducked and they went flying over her. Brian ran over and jumped in the air and brought his knee down onto one of the Jokerz back.

"RAHHH!" the Jokerz member cried out in pain. Brian then back fisted the other in the face and delivered a chop to the neck, knocking him out. Max lifted her head once all of the Jokerz were down.

"COME ON MAX! THERE'LL BE MORE OF THEM LET'S GO!" shouted Brian holding out his hand. Max stood up and ran and grabbed it and he pulled her along as they ran down the street.

* * *

**Train**

Brain and Max ran onto the train just as the doors swished closed. The both sat down in one of the seat and started to catch their breathe and calm their beating hearts. Brian being used to such fights was the first to recover. He looked over at Max who was still breathing hard and had a frightening look on her face.

"Are you alright"

She turned and looked at him

"Physically fine….but emotional no. Just seeing them again…..up close…" she said leaning back still breathing hard, "Where the hell did you learn how to fight like that….you were…..were….I can't really describe"

"Thanks" he replied, with a smile.

"So"

"So what"

"Where did you learn how to fight like that" she asked. Brian looked into her eyes and the curiosity that were in them, but also for some strange reason he felt like he could trust her.

"I learned from a few friends of mine….they showed me some moves….actually they showed me a lot of things."

"Thanks for….ya know saving me back there"

"Well I couldn't let them hurt my beautiful date could I"

"Better not" she replied

"Plus….if I did that how else was I supposed to get a good night kiss" he said smiling at her

"And what makes you think you were gonna get one"

"A hunch"

Max smiled at him and then they both began to lean in closer and closer until their lips met in a kiss.

* * *

**Brian's House**

Brian and Max burst into his house kissing all over each other. Both had the other in a fierce lip lock that was full of want and passion. Brain cracked open an eye and he started directing the two of them to his room.

'_Thank God Mom and Courtney won't be back from Granddad's until tomorrow'_ he thought to himself as he kicked open his door and he pulled Max inside. Brian and Max both fell down on his bed. Max pulled him in closer by wrapping her legs around his waist. Brian broke the kiss and began attacking her neck; Max gripped his head in delight. Brian leaned up and took off his shirt revealing his lean muscular chest. He tossed his shirt to the ground and the proceed to unbutton Max's shirt. Max then leaned up and took off her shit and tossed it to the ground next to his. Brain leaned in and kissed her again and her hands went to unbuckle his belt. Just when the belt unbuckled there was a knock on the front door.

**KNOCK! KNOCK!.** Brian stopped and turned to the sound.

"No ignore it" said Max breathlessly

"You're right" he replied attacking her lips again

**KNOCK! KNOCK** went the knocking even louder this time.

"Fuck!" shouted Brian, "Okay look…..just…just hold on, I'm gonna go get rid of whoever the hell this is and when I get back…" he started leaving her to fill in the rest.

"You better hurry" replied Max with a smile. Brian quickly got up and ran out of his room and towards the door.

Max quickly got up and took off her pants and then jumped back down onto Brian's bed excited with anticipation, but as she fell onto the bed she heard something drop. Curious to the sound looked around till she looked over the left side of the bed and she saw a book open with handwritten words inside. Max looked at the door and then at the book again.

"Damn my curiosity" she said under her breathe and grabbed the book, "Journal entry 252….The Jokerz killed my father today…..a Jokerz thug by the name of Terminal shot him in the head….while I watched like a frightened little boy. I'm a coward….I'm nothing but a coward" she read out loud, "Holy Shit" she said to herself as she turned the page.

* * *

Brian opened the front door to find his best friend Evan standing there with a strange look on his face.

"Am I interrupting" asked Evan with a smirk seeing his friends half dressed appearance

"As a matter of fact you are…look give me 1 hour….scratch that give me an 1 and a half"

"On a normal day I would but I can't we need to talk immediately about our extra activities" said Evan in code. Brian shot a glance to his room door and then he walked outside.

"What is it" he asked closing the door behind him

"Brian…The Huntress is growing concerned that you're not down with us"

"That's ridiculous, I am"

'Then you need to show them by doing what is necessary….you gotta kill the criminals"

"You know how I feel about that Evan…..I can't stop thinking about that guy I killed the first time…..No….I won't kill every thug that we come across…..Only Terminal, that's it end of discussion"

"NO that isn't end of discussion Brian…these guys are serious when it comes to commitment. If you don't start killing our enemies then…"

"Then what….they'll kill me" said Brian laughing.

Evan just stared at him

"They're planning to kill me aren't they…..because we didn't kill Bane when we had the chance right" said Brian getting all of the information that he needed off of Evan's face.

"I managed to buy some time….but Brian…..the people that we fight are evil criminals. Evil that needs to be punished to the highest degree"

"But who are we to be judge and Jury"

"So when you get your shot at Terminal are you going to beat him up and then turn him in"

'That's…..that's different he deserves to die for his actions"

"Says you…..maybe somebody might disagree with you on that"

"Don't try to twist this"

"I'm not I'm just showing you the error in your logic…look….just think about it okay….because since I stood up for you, my ass in on the line as well" said Evan seriously, "Now I gotta go I got a hot date myself…..catch you later" he said turning and leaving. Brian let out a sigh of frustration and leaned against the door.

"Dammit" he said to himself. He then opened the door and he went back inside.

* * *

'_The Knightbreed are a strange bunch of people. Ever since Evan and I joined them, I get this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that this rash decision that I've made…..may have been a mistake'_ read Max reading the journal entry.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!" shouted a voice. Max jumped and then turned to see Brian standing at the doorway with an angry scowl on his face, "THAT'S PRIVATE!"

"I-I'm sorry I….." she started before he stormed over and grabbed the journal out of his hand.

"GODDAMN YOUR CURIOSITY MAX!"

"I know….it was stupid….but…..you're one of the Knightbreed"

"I think it's time that you left Max" he said closing the journal.

"No" she said looking at him.

"What….you can't tell me no…this is my house"

"You don't really want me to leave" said Max folding her arms over her chest. Brian scrunched his eyes in confusion

"No I really do want you to leave…how you dare read my journal. You had no right" he said angrily

"You're right Brian and I'm sorry that I did that, but at the same time I'm not sorry. You are a good person you shouldn't be involved with the Knightbreed" she replied

"You don't know what you're talking about"

"Yes I do…I read your Journal remember I know you think joining them was a mistake, but you feel it's the only way that you will get your chance to get revenge on Terminal for killing your Dad"

"Shut up" he said

"No…you need to hear this. What would your Dad think about you scrambling the roof tops at night instead of being in school and using your mind instead of your fist?"

"I don't know what he would think…..HE'S DEAD!" he shouted in anger. Max looked at him and the waves of anger rolling off of him. She calmly and carefully walked towards him. She gently reached up and rubbed his face affectionately, and she stared into his eyes. Brian felt her rub his face and the anger that he felt began to slowly ebb away and he stood there staring back at Max.

"….H-He…..He would be pretty pissed" said Brian, "But Max…you don't understand, it's the only thing I can think about, the only thought that crosses my mind day and night….and I can't rest…..I can't…..and I know the Knightbreed are not the right crowd…but if they can give me a chance at revenge isn't it worth it" he asked her still looking in her eyes.

"No….it isn't" she replied

Brian swallowed hard, as he heard her words. Max then leaned up and kissed him on the lips. Brian started to kiss her back. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up. Max and Brian began to kiss even more fiercely and urgently as he moved forward and hit his bed again. Before they went any further Brian lifted up his head and he looked at Max.

"I…..I think I'm falling in Love with you Max" he said. Max smiled at him.

"I know…I think I'm falling in Love with you too" she replied leaning up and capturing his lips again.

* * *

**End Chapter. ****Read and Review. Hey readers it's Me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. Whew! This was a long chapter. I really hope you all enjoyed the fight sequence between Huntress and Batgirl, b/c I really enjoyed that fight. There will be other flashback fight scenes as well. I hope everyone is enjoying the story, I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter enough to join me back here next time for the next installment. IF you have any questions you can either send me a message or just let me know your question in your Review (Which I hope all of you do). Anyway this is Nomad88 saying until next time….**

**Ps: If you haven't read T.S.A: The Amazing Spider-Man vol 2, the newest chapter is out I would really appreciate the feedback…..Later **

**Next up: There will be Blood**


	12. There Will Be Blood

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these characters, in fact ALL CREDIT goes to DC, I REPEAT DC OWNS these CHARACTERS. I am not making any money off of this story I REPEAT NO MONEY is being exchanged or handed to me I can assure you that I'm quite broke, so please…Please….find it in your heart not to sue me…..DO NOT SUE ME….thanks….now on with the story**

**Hello readers, it me Nomad88 back with another chapter in the Batman Beyond Universe. Another chapter filled with brand new developments, so having said that all that's left is to Read, REVIEW(Feedback….I like Feedback), and of course ENJOY…..**

* * *

**Chapter 12: There Will Be Blood**

**Durlan's Toy Factory 1:30 am**

Terminal stood up from his seat on the desk in the office that he and his inner circle of Jokerz shared. Terminal walked past the Dee Dee twins, Ghoul, Chucko, Woof and Bonk and out of the office and they followed close behind him.

*X*

* * *

Terminal walked out of the office and he stood at the top of the stairs that overlooked open area of the abandoned Toy Factory. Down below the music played loudly and the aspiring Jokerz recruits were dance wildly. Terminal looked at all of them and his eyes narrowed slightly. As he looked at them his inner circle came and stood behind them.

"Look at them" said Ghoul with a smirk, "They have no idea that they are cannon fodder"

"I'm surprised we were able to scrap them together…..how many are down there again" asked Chucko

"About 20 or 30" the twins said at the same time

"That should be enough" said Terminal as he reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. He aimed the gun at the sound system playing the music and he pulled the trigger.

**BANG! **The thin laser from the gun hit the sound system and destroyed it sending sparks everywhere. All of the Jokerz recruits stopped dancing and turned to Terminal and his Jokerz.

"Play time is over" started Terminal putting the gun back in his pocket, "All of you have been recruited into my group of Jokerz and as I'm sure all of you know how I do business. We are merciless, we are Ruthless, and we are….."

"JOKERZ!" the recruits shouted out.

"That's right…..Now recently I'm sure all of you have heard that I've declared this city Jokerz territory…but so far it seems no one is really taking us seriously, which is why tonight we are gonna live up to the legacy that the original joker started. Tonight we are gonna spread fear into the heart of the people, tonight we are gonna paint this city red and it will be with the blood of Neo-Gotham…oh yes there will be blood and if your afraid of blood I suggest you leave now"

"HELL NO!" they shouted

"Good….Now here's what all of you are going to do" said Terminal with a smile.

***X***

* * *

**Flashback: Years Ago: Bat Cave **

A young Barbara Gordon walked down the winding stairs that led into the Bat Cave. Her hair was disheveled, and all she was wearing was one of Bruce's white dress shirts and her underwear. She smiled to herself as she saw Bruce sitting at Bat computer typing away and all he was wearing was a pair of boxers. Barbara made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked kissing him on his cheek

"Dick and Damian went out on a call and they aren't back yet"

"Where did they go?"

"I'm trying to figu….." he started before he heard the entrance to the Bat Cave open and the Bat mobile came riding in.

**SCREEEEEECH! CRASH! **Went the sound of the batmobile coming to a crashing stop in the bat Cave. The Batmobile was halfway destroyed, it had deep slash marks in it, chunks of metal missing, the windows were cracked, the end of the vehicle was almost gone and one tire was blown out. The door opened and then fell off, and a mid to late teen looking Damian Wayne aka Robin stepped out covered in blood.

"ALFRED! BRUCE! GET OVER HERE NOW!" he shouted. Damian was a mess, his mask was gone, as was his cape and the rest of his robin costume was shredded and he had deep bleeding scratches going across his chest, arms, and legs. His lip was busted and his nose looked like it was broken.

"ALFRED!" Damian shouted again as he leaned into the batmobile again and he pulled out Dick Grayson aka Batman. If Damian looked like a mess then Dick looked like a train wreck. He was unconscious and his Batman costume was practically gone, which made it easier to see that he was missing his left hand and his left leg, and he was bleeding uncontrollably.

"OH MY GOD" whispered Barbara as she and Bruce ran over to the both of them. Bruce grabbed Dick out of Damian's arms

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" he shouted as he turned and ran towards the medical wing in the Bat Cave. Barbara wrapped one of Damian's arms around her neck and helped him over to the Medical wing.

"We went out on a routine call and we got ambushed by Killer Croc and that Goddamn shadowy figure again"

"Shadowy Figure" repeated Bruce as he laid Dick down on the table "ALFRED!" he shouted.

Alfred finally entered the bat cave and came running down the stairs as fast as he could he was getting old but he still had a few more years left in his body. Alfred rushed over to the table and immediately gasped at the sight of Dick Grayson. He looked down and he saw the stumps were his hand and leg used to be and he saw blood was still seeping out.

"We need to cauterize the wound….Hurry find me something I can use" said Alfred

Bruce turned around and grabbed a flat smooth metal plate that was lying on the counter. He then opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small metal cylinder. He pressed the button and a wide hot laser beam shot out. He held the cylinder in the middle of the metal plate until he saw the middle turn red. Bruce then turned off the beam and he carefully handed the plate to Alfred.

"I'm Sorry Master Grayson" said Alfred before he firmly put the metal plate on the stump of his left leg

"RAHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted Dick in absolute agony and when he began to thrash Bruce and Damian rushed over. Bruce and Damian had to hold him down and Barbara had her arms wrapped around his neck and was whispering words of comfort into his ear. Alfred took the plate off and handed it to Bruce who took it and heated it up again and he gave it back to him. Alfred then put the hot plate on the stump of his left hand.

"RWAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he shouted and thrashed out again.

***X***

* * *

**30 minutes later**

Alfred walked out of the medical wing and he was covered in blood. He walked over to a medical station where Barbara was stitching up the last slash on Damian's chest and Bruce was leaning against the wall with that emotionless mask on his face. They all looked up as he came over to them.

"How is he Alfred?"

"He'll live Master Wayne, but I'm afraid he'll need a replacement leg and hand, and also His right eye is gone as well. I tried to save it but it was too damaged, it had a small piece of shrapnel in it so I had to remove it completely"

"Jesus" said Barbara glancing in the direction of the motionless and heavily sedated Dick Grayson

"I've done all I can the rest is up to him"

"Thank you Alfred….that will be all" Bruce replied anger evident in his voice. Bruce balled up a fist and then he turned to Damian and Barbara.

"Both of you get dressed now, we're going to find who did this" he said as he started to walk past them.

"Wait Bruce….Damian is injured he needs…."

"That was an order Barbara….Damian is fine"

"And…. I'm in the room too" said Damian

Bruce continued on and towards the Bat suits that were held in the glass cases. Barbara let out a sigh and then turned back to Damian, who looked like he needed to sleep for a week. She picked up the sutures and began to finish stitching up his wound.

"GRR" he grunted in pain, "I-I…..I hope you don't think…..that just because you tried to stand up for me….I-I'm…going to call you Mom" he struggled to say looking at her. She stopped for a moment and then looked at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she said while biting her lip knowing that she wasn't going to fool Damian.

"Coy isn't your strong suit Gordon….you're in my father's shirt…your hair is messy and you have no pants on, not that hard to figure out…..e-especially….with my int-intelligence" he continued trying to block out the pain.

Barbara let out a sigh and started back stitching him up.

"This….this isn't how I wanted you to find out…..actually I didn't want anyone to find out"

"So you and my Father"

"Me and Bruce" she repeated

"He's gonna break your heart you…you do know that right…..he's too Devoted to this" said Damian pointing to the Cave, "If that damn Cat lady couldn't tie him down and….…grr….. n-neither could the Amazon…..I don't think you'll be able to either, you'll just be another notch on the bedpost" said Damian

"Don't be an asshole Damian"

"I'm not trying to be…I'm just stating facts"

"Well….we'll see"

"Yeah….we will" he replied

"Done" she said putting her instruments down.

"Thanks" he said standing up from the station, he let out another groan of pain but he took a deep breathe and pushed the pain he was feeling aside.

"Listen Damian…promise me you won't tell anyone about this….about me and him, especially Dick" she said turning her gaze to him lying on the table, trying not to let her tears fall down her face.

"Don't worry Gordon…keeping secrets is all apart of being in the Wayne Family…and you don't have to worry about me telling Dick….he already knows" said Damian passing her and heading towards the bat suits where Bruce was already dressed as Batman. Barbara stood in her spot with wide eyes. She slowly turned her eyes over to the motionless Dick and she let out a frustrated sigh.

"BARBARA LET'S GO!" shouted Batman

Barbara turned her gaze to Batman and she slowly made her way over to the bat suits.

*X*

* * *

**Present: Young Residence**

Barbara shot up in her bed and looked around. She noticed that she was in her house and in her bedroom, she turned and saw her husband Sam Young sound asleep. Throwing the covers off of her body, she got out of the bed and grabbed her black robe and put it over her naked body and walked out of her bedroom.

*X*

* * *

Barbara went to her kitchen cabinet and pulled out a clear glass and a bottle of bourbon. She poured herself a full glass of bourbon and downed the whole glass in one gulp. She then leaned against the counter and let out a huge sigh.

'_Damn Bruce and bringing up the past…I can't stop thinking…..'_ she stated before her eyes suddenly snapped open. If she was a normal person she would be scared out of her mind but she wasn't exactly normal. Standing in the middle of her living room were two people. One had a Gray Cloak covering his head and the other was a bald man with a black mask and a red and black karate gi.

"Damian, you really need to learn how to knock" she said pushing herself off of the counter and putting her glass down. The Gray Ghost pulled his hood off to reveal the face of Damian Wayne.

"Yeah I'll put that on my to do list" he replied walking forward towards the counter, "You got an extra glass" he asked. Barbara turned around and went back to her cabinet and took out another glass.

"Would your friend like one too" she asked

"No Ma'am I would not…..I only like Huangjiu"

"What the hell is that" she asked

"It's a type of Chinese liquor Barbara…..it's actually quite tasty" said Damian

Barbara shrugged her shoulder and only took out one glass. She turned back around and went to the counter and poured the bourbon into her glass and Damian's and pushed it to him. Damian grabbed the glass and held it up.

"Occasion" he said

"To the past" she replied. They tapped their glasses together and then downed their drinks in one gulp

"AHHHH…cough…cough" gagged Damian feeling the liquor hit the back of his throat, "I've been in Russia too long, I thought I built up a tolerance to all liquor, but it seems it only applies to Vodka"

"Who are you" asked Barbara turning her eyes to the bald man in the black mask,

"I am Yinn, Master Wayne's assistant of sorts" Yinn replied.

"You're his assistant" Barbara said in slight shock

"Yes I am…I have been for quite some time"

"And you've kept your sanity in tact, that's impressive" she said with a smile

"Funny Gordon…..very funny" said Damian, "So why are we toasting to the past"

"I talked to Bruce earlier"

"About Batman" asked Damian

"No…..about….about Helena"

"The Huntress….why"

"Because I recently found out that she's the leader of the Knightbreed" said Barbara biting her lip

"WHAT" replied Damian narrowing his eyes, "I thought you said she was dead?"

"I lied Damian, okay…I lied" she replied pouring more liquor in her glass and in Damian's.

"Forgive my interruption Ms. Gordon"

"Call Me Barbara"

"Okay Barbara….but who is the Huntress" asked Yinn

"She's a crazy arrow shooting woman who we used to fight crime with"

"Don't talk about her like that Damian she wasn't crazy…okay maybe she was crazy but it was my fault she was like that"

"How was it your fault?"

"She put her into the Lazarus Pit Yinn" said Damian looking at him. Yinn's eyes widen at the mention of the Lazarus Pit because he was all too familiar with its mysterious properties.

"You submerged her into the pit" stated Yinn

"Yes" replied Barbara looking at him

"Well that's the reason why she became…..unstable…you are not supposed to be submerged into the Lazarus Pit"

"How would you know?"

"Because it is my duty to know"

"Barbara….Yinn was one of the first people to ever discover the Lazarus Pit….even before my grandfather Ra's Al Ghul" said Damian with a smirk taking a gulp from his glass of bourbon.

"WHAT!...that's impossible….that would make you….." she started

"Very…Very….old" said Yinn with a smile "You see Barbara there is more than one way to use the Lazarus Pit…there's the wrong way which can turn someone insane…and then there's the right way, which brings youth and longevity"

"How…."

"Barbara" came Sam's voice. Damian and Yinn quickly and soundlessly hopped over the counter and crouched down, just as Sam walked into the living room.

"Hey, what are you doing up Sam" she said quickly walking from around the counter and towards him.

"You weren't in bed and…"

"I just got up to get a drink….I'll be back in just a second" she replied quickly kissing him on the lips, and ushering out of the room

"Alright…but hurry back to bed" he said turning and going back towards their bedroom. Barbara watched him leave and then turned back to the counter where Damian and Yinn both stood up.

"Why are you here Damian" asked Barbara

"Kobra" he stated

"Good job with that submarine thing….mr. anonymous"

"You're welcome, but I'm afraid I have some bad news"

"What is it?"

"A dangerous General by the name of Zander is in Gotham"

"Who is Zander?"

"A tough opponent…..If I can capture him he can lead me to King Kobra, but unfortunately I don't know where he is"

"So why come to me"

"Because I need you to do me a favor I need you to look into any place that Kobra might be"

"Why can't you do it" she asked

"Because Yinn and I are on a campaign to destroy Derek Powers…..we have to make sure he doesn't make anymore nerve gas for Kobra and the only way to do that is to take him down"

"Damian I have a lot on my plate right now I don't need you swooping in and starting shit"

"Barbara I wouldn't even be in this damn depressing city if it wasn't important….I need you to do this for me…and I promise when I'm taking down Powers it will be quickly and quietly okay" he replied reaching into one of his pouches and pulling out a small disc. Barbara let out a sigh and took the disc

"That is all the information I have on Kobra and the places they like to set up shop at"

"Listen my hands are tied at the moment, but I can give this to my best detective….."

'That's fine, there's nothing incriminating on that disc just descriptions of places…I need that as quickly as possible"

"I'll tell her to put a rush on it"

"Thanks and here is a contact number to get in touch with me once you have the info" said Damian pulling out a card with a number on the back. He gave her the card and then put his hood back over his head and turning and heading for the window.

"It was nice meeting you Barbara" said Yinn turning, but before he could turn, Barbara grabbed his arm.

"Yinn, I-I would like to talk to you more about the Lazarus Pit….if you don't mind"

"…I do not see why not, but I'm afraid it will have to wait until another time….you see I'm quite tired Master Wayne and I have been searching for Kobra all night"

"Of course….whenever the time is right for you" replied Barbara letting his arm go.

Yinn turned and headed for the window where Damian was standing. Damian turned his head slightly back to Barbara

"You still need to talk to Bruce about this Batman thing Barbara and you need to do it now" he said before jumping out of the window. Yinn put his foot on the edge of the window and he jumped out as well.

"I know Damian…I know" she whispered to herself as she went to the window and slide it shut. Barbara then took a deep breathe and then headed back to her bedroom.

***X***

* * *

**Next Day: Neo-Save Grocery Store- 9:00 am**

The medium sized grocery store was filled with many Neo-Gotham citizens. All of them searching for food to buy for their families for the week. None of the people in the store realized that today would be their last day in the land of the living. Six Jokerz rushed into the grocery store and pulled out their automatic weapons.

"HELLO CITIZENS WELCOME TO JOKERZ CITY HAHAHAHAHAA!" one of the Jokerz shouted out before they all began to open fire and mow down the civilians in the crossfire. After unleashed their bullets onto the people the Jokerz quickly ran out of the store and jumped into a black hover van that was waiting for them and it flew off into the morning sky.

***X***

* * *

**Neo- Gotham Public Train 9: 45 am**

Several people were sitting on the train heading for their jobs. The train came to a stop and the doors opened and several more people got inside, but one person in particular stood out. He was wearing a long red coat, and a purple hat. The doors closed and the train started to move again. The Man felt the train start to move and he threw off his coat to reveal himself to be a jokerz member. He quickly pulled out a white patch and he slapped it onto his arm. His muscles started to double in sized and he started to grow in height as well. The Jokerz member let out a roar and then he charged at the people on the train who were screaming and trying to get away but they were trapped. The muscle bound man grabbed on the people by the head and then smashed them into the window. He then grabbed another person and slammed them together. Just as the muscle bound joker grabbed someone else he suddenly dropped to a knee.

"I-I…..don't….feel…" he started before his muscles began to triple, and then quadruple, until he exploded.

***X***

* * *

**BOOM!, **The force of the explosion shook the train car causing it wobble just as the train was going around a curb. The wobbling car tipped over and causing the tail end of the train to fall off the tracks and drag across the ground below, destroying the street, and several cars in the process.

***X***

* * *

_**T.V**_

"_Good Morning Neo-Gotham I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always is my co-host Kim Warren. _

_Kim: Thanks Tom. Today's top story the Jokerz have been attacking random spots around the city all morning at it seems there is no end in sight. _

_Tom: That's right Kim so far the places the Jokerz have attacked are the Neo-Save Grocery killing 15 people and injury 9, The Neo-Gotham public Train was attacked as well destroying the tail end of the train, and…_

_**KRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**_

_Deidre: We interrupt this boring program to bring you a message from the Jokerz_

_Delilah: And this isn't just any message you Neo-Gotham dorks so you better listen carefully or _

_Together: BOOM!_

_Terminal: Hello Citizens of Jokerz City, for those of you who do not know me I'm Terminal. It seems that you people did not understand what my Inner Circle was saying last time we interrupted this yellow journalism, so I guess you need to hear it from the person in charge…..me. This- is- my- city….do you hear me…..my city and I want all of you rich bastards out, I want all of you cops gone, the Knightbreed gone…and I want Batman Gone and I want this done by tonight and if I don't get what I want….then it's gonna be Anarchy. You think what's happened so far is bad then you're gonna love what I have planned. There are seven bombs planted through Neo-Gotham each wired with enough explosives to take out 5 city blocks, and they are rigged to blow if anyone tampers with them and they each have a timer on them set to go off at specific times, and I believe the first one is gonna go off at Hamilton High School. This is your first and last warning…..GET OUT!_

_Dee Dee twins: We now take you back to your regular schedule bullshit programming…._

* * *

_Kim: I-I…..Tom_

_Tom: W-We'll be back after this commercial…_

_***X***_

* * *

**McGinnis Apartment 9:50am**

**RING! RING!**

Terry McGinnis cracked open his eyes and he looked at his night stand and saw that his cell phone was ringing. Pushing himself up in his bed he reached over and grabbed his cell phone and he flipped it open.

"Yeah" he said letting out a loud and long yawn.

"Time to go to work Get dressed I'm sending the Batmobile to your place it will be cloaked"

"What's the problem?"

"JOkerz" said Bruce

Terry threw the covers off of his body and he stood up. He squatted down and reached under his bed and pulled out his Batman costume and he immediately began to get dress.

***X***

* * *

**NGCPD**

"CALL THE BOMB SQUAD AND I WANT ALL OFFICERS TO GET TO HAMILTON HIGH AND START EVACT NOW! LET'S MOVE PEOPLE WE'RE AGAINST THE CLOCK!" shouted Barbara and she and several officers rushed out of the police precinct and to their cars.

***X***

* * *

**Across Town**

Bonk, Chucko, and Ghoul rode their motorcycles down the street at top speed. They swerved in and out of the traffic until they made a sharp turn around a corner and started down a long straight road.

After a few minutes of driving down the road, a large gray wall started to become visible in the distance. They each began to put on the brakes until them came to stop.

"Arkham Asylum" said Chucko

"You think that idiot came through" asked Ghoul

"We're about to find out now" said Chucko pulling out a hand held computer pad. He then pulled out a cell phone and dialed a few numbers.

**Ring Ring Click **

"Hello"

"Yeah it's us…do the upload" said Chucko. Chucko looked down at his computer pad and it gave a loading sign and then it said loading complete.

"It's done…..be at the south gate exit" said the voice on the other end before a click was heard indicating the end of the phone call.

Chucko touched the screen on his computer pad and a layout of Arkham Asylum came up.

"He came through….let's go….we're on a schedule" said Chucko as he got off of his motorcycle. Ghoul and Bonk did the same thing and then all rushed towards the south exit.

***X***

* * *

The Three Jokerz reached a gray metal door that said South Exit. The door opened and a guard stepped out and looked around. Chucko, Ghoul and Bonk rushed forward and through the door and once they were through the guard closed the door.

***X***

* * *

**Inside Arkham Asylum**

Once they were inside Chucko looked around and saw they were in some type of emergency exit and there was on one door, which was the one they came through, and several set of stairs that led upwards and further into Arkham Asylum.

"Hey did you disable the security systems" asked Ghoul looking at the guard

"Yes I did…..just as you asked….now where is my wife" the guard asked

"She's dead" responded Chucko turning to him

"WHA…." Started the guard before Bonk pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the throat. The Guard fell down to the ground bleeding and after a few seconds he was lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood. Chucko looked down at his computer pad again and he pressed a button. From the side of his computer pad two slips of paper printed out. He ripped them out and he handed on to Ghoul and one to Bonk.

"Alright you guys know the plan set the charges and meet back here….that is a map of where you need to specifically plant each bomb….hurry up too and be careful we can't let any of the other guards see us" said Chucko as he started up the stairs and he was closely followed by Ghoul and Bonk.

***X***

* * *

**Hamilton High School**

A several police cars hovered in the air above Hamilton High. Some were already on the ground helping the teachers keep the teens calm and keep them moving to get them out of the school.

From one of the cars in the air Barbara Gordon leaned out and she had a bull horn in her hand.

"This is Commissioner Gordon the NGCPD please quickly and calmly exit the building, this is not a drill"

"Commissioner!" shouted her female driver

"What is it" she said turning back to her diver

"Bomb squad just called their on the way…but they'll be in her 6 minutes"

"That's too long we don't know what time the bomb is supposed to go off….take me down"

"Commissioner"

"NOW!" she shouted. Her driver nodded her head and proceeded to make the car descend.

***X***

* * *

**In the Air**

The Batmobile flew through the air at high speeds towards Hamilton High.

"ARE THEY INSANE!" Batman shouted as he finished watching the news report through the Batmobile screen.

"Yes they are" replied Bruce

"Okay…we have to take this Terminal guy down and I mean immediately"

"We will but right now focus on the task at hand disarming that bomb"

"Right….we're coming up on Hamilton High right now" said Batman looking through the screen.

"Good…..listen hover above the school" said Bruce

Batman made the cloaked batmobile hovered above the school just as he was instructed.

"Now what"

"Look on the controls you should see several buttons labeled scanner"

"Yeah I see them"

"Press the first button and the third button together"

Batman reached over and pressed the buttons.

"**Explosive scanning in progress….scanning…. scanning**" went the computer's voice. Batman looked on as the screen brought up a blueprint layout of Hamilton High school, with every floor and every room visible.

"**Scanning…Scanning…..Scanning….no explosive found in area**" the computer responded.

"What" said Batman with wide eyes, "Computer scan again"

"**Scanning….Scanning…..Scanning…..No Explosives found in area**"

"Okay….so there are no bombs" said Batman

"Which means Terminal was lying…..why is the question" asked Bruce

"Diversion" Batman threw out

"From what"

***X***

* * *

**Arkham Asylum **

Chucko, Bonk, and Ghoul rushed out of the South Exit and back to their motorcycles. They each swung their legs over their bikes. Chucko pulled out a small metal cylinder that had a small red button on the top and a smile formed on his face.

"BOOM" he said pressing the button, while starting up the engine of his motorcycle and driving off with Bonk and Ghoul right behind him.

**KABOOOOOOOOM!**

The explosion could be heard for miles. Several specifically chosen areas of the Arkham Asylum prison went up in an impressive show of destruction. One of the support beams for the guard tower was blown out and it began crumble. The guard tower began to wobble where it fell over and crash to the ground with a loud boom.

**BOOM!** Went the sound of one of the walls inside the Asylum being blow apart scarring the inmates, but once the dust settle and they saw that the wall was opened dozens of orange jumpsuit wearing criminals began to file out and into the yard.

**BOOOM! ** All around the Asylum different and random sections began to be blown apart and inmates began to file out.

"Holy Shit…..it's a prison break….radio in for back up!" shouted one of the guards as he rose to his feet and pulled out his weapon.

***X***

* * *

**Hamilton High**

Commissioner Gordon, the students gathered outside, and the police that were one the scene all turned to the west when they heard the explosion. They all saw smoke rising in the distance

"What the…"started Barbara

"COMMISSIONER!" shouted Detective Montoya Bullock rushing over

"What is it"

"Ma'am we just got a call from Arkham Asylum…the Jokerz have targeted it, we got reports of multiple explosions and the prisoners are free"

**SCREEEECH!** Went the sound of a large Van pulling up to Hamilton High, on the side of the Van read: NGCPD Bomb Squad.

"Bomb squad is here…Bullock where is your car" asked Barbara

"Over there" she pointed

"Good you come with me, we're going to Arkham" said Barbara going towards Montoya's car, "This is Commissioner Gordon I need 3 units to follow me to Arkham Asylum we got a prison break…let's move" she continued into her radio.

***X***

* * *

**Batmobile**

"Incoming Distress Call from Arkham Asylum" said Bruce

"I'm already gone" replied Batman as he pushed on the throttle and the cloaked Batmobile rocketed towards the overrun Arkham Asylum.

***X***

* * *

**VROOM! VROOM! **Went the sound of the motorcycles as they zoomed down the street. Chucko, Ghoul, and Bonk turned into a parking deck and went up the winding road until they came to the abandoned top floor, where Terminal, Dee Dee twins and Woof were waiting. Terminal was looking through a pair of binoculars and the smoke rising from Arkham Asylum.

"Hey Terminal, it's done" said Ghoul

"Good job….all is going according to plan, now let's go pay our…..mayor a visit" said Terminal taking the binoculars off of his eyes and starting up his motorcycle.

***X***

* * *

**Arkham Asylum**

"GET BACK IN YOUR….ARGH!" shouted a guard as three men in orange jumpsuits jumped on top of him and started punching and kicking him. One of the inmates grabbed his gun and turned to a group of approaching guards and opened fire.

***X***

* * *

The Batmobile flew through the air and came up to Arkham Asylum and through the viewing screen Batman saw everything was happening. He saw several walls were destroyed and many inmates were running through the holes and down the long road trying to get away from the Asylum.

"It's a mad house" said Batman looking at the chaos.

"McGinnis fly towards the hole and deactivate the cloaking"

Batman directed the batmobile to fly towards the giant hole in the Asylum and the cloak deactivated.

"Now what"

"Press the blue button on the right side of the thrusters"

Batman looked for the button and he pressed. A metal pipe lowered slightly out of the bottom of the Batmobile and a steady stream of blue foam sprayed from the pipe and started to cover the hole. After a few seconds the hole was completely filled with the blue foam.

"What the hell is that stuff"

"Foam cement…my own design"

"Schway…look from what the Batmobile has displayed there are three more holes to fill….but those guards down there need help they are being overrun"

"Go help the guards; I'll direct the batmobile remotely to cover the holes"

"Right" said Batman as he pulled the two levers on the ceiling. The bottom of the batmobile opened and Batman fell out and flew to the ground.

***X***

* * *

An inmate had punched a guard in the face when a shadow formed over him. He turned and he saw Batman swoop in and kick him in the face sending him flying into four other inmates.

"HOLY SHIT! IT'S THE BAT!" one of them shouted

"GET EM"

Five inmates ran towards Batman who stood his ground and waited. The first inmate threw out a punch, which Batman blocked and then responded with a powerful uppercut that lifted him off of his feet and into two of the approaching inmates knocking them down. The last two inmates came charging and first Batman lashed out with a kick to the knee and then grabbed the inmates arm and swung him around and shoved him into the last inmate. Once they were all down Batman turned to the guard who was rising to his feet.

"Are you alright"

"Y-Yeah….but listen the courtyard their trying to make their escape through that hole"

"I already took care of the hole. Round up any guards you can find and try to hold them off until back up gets here, I'll take care of the ones in the main courtyard" said Batman

"Are you crazy there's gotta be at least 50 guys out there"

"I know" said Batman curling his feet. His rockets roared to life and he took to the sky. He didn't have to fly far to see about 50 men in orange jumpsuits pounding away at the blue foam, but it didn't budge.

While in the air Batman also saw that some of the men were carrying the guard's weapons in their hands and were shooting at some of them as well. He flicked his wrist and produced several batarangs. He aimed and threw the batarangs with perfect accuracy, each hit one of the inmates that was carrying a weapon. They looked up and saw Batman diving towards them.

"INCOMING!" one of them managed to shout just before he was tackled. Batman flipped to his feet and he faced the angry inmates.

"You dregs got two choices A. Go back to your cells quietly or B. I make you go back to your cells"

"IT'S THE BAT!"

"SHIT HE'S REAL!"

"FUCK YOU!" shouted out one of the inmates as he charged. Batman spun and delivered a side kick to the man's stomach sending him flying back groaning in pain.

"Anyone else" Batman growled out.

"LET'S GET EM' HE'S ONLY ONE GUY!"

"YEAH!"

The inmates charged at Batman

'_McGinnis flick your wrist forward'_ came Bruce over the communication line.

Batman held up his hands and flicked his wrist forward. Several mini red batarangs flew forward and hit several of the inmates in the face. Batman curled his feet and took to the air. While in the air he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out two folded batarangs. He quickly unfolded them and threw them at the inmates. The inmates dove out of the way and the batarangs imbedded themselves into the ground.

"HA!" one of them shouted out before the batrarangs let out an electrical surge that shocked many of the inmates "RAHHHHHHH!" they yelled out in pain. Batman then flew downward and kicked on in the head. Rolling along the ground he swept three of them off of their feet. He stood up only to be grabbed from behind. Batman head butted the guy in the nose and flexed his arms and broke the man's hold. Batman then turned and punched the guy in the jaw.

'_McGinnis…break the line of sight, smoke bombs' _

Batman kicked an inmate in the face and at the same time he pressed a pocket on his belt and out rolled 5 black balls. He blocked an attack and then threw the balls onto the ground creating a thick fog of black smoke. Batman elbowed one of the inmates in the mouth and then pressed the side of his mask and his thermo vision popped up and he proceed to fight the confused inmates.

The Guards had recovered from the sudden attack and they had formed a perimeter around the black smoke. Some of the inmates that ran out of the smoke received a stun blast from the guard's weapons that made them drop to the ground unconscious.

After a few minutes the black smoke began to clear and there was Batman fighting the remaining inmates. The guards decided this was the time to help and began to fire on the inmates that were trying to surround Batman.

"ARGH!"

"AHHH!"

They shouted all the while falling to the ground unconscious.

**WHOOOOO WHOOOOO WHOOOOO!** Went the sound of police sirens. Batman punched an inmate and then looked up and saw NGCPD arriving.

***X***

* * *

"Teams 2 and 4 go on the east and west side and secure the area, my team and team 3 main courtyard" said Barbara over the radio. Her car started to descend to the ground. She hopped out and she looked at the unconscious inmates and at Batman who made his way over.

"You did this" asked Barbara as the officer drew their weapons

"Your welcome" he replied

"Help those guards secure these inmates" said Barbara to her subordinates, they hesitated for a second, "NOW!" she shouted and they rushed away from her and Batman and to the inmates.

"…..thanks"

"Yeah….also there is no bomb at Hamilton High, I scanned it and there was no bomb anywhere in the area"

"So….it was a diversion"

"That's what I'm thinking too" said Batman

"A diversion for what is the que….." she started before her radio came to life

"COMMISSIONER ANOTHER BOMB JUST WENT OFF IN THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT, WE GOT PEOPLE STUCK IN THE BUILDING AT ITS ON FIRE!"

"What" she shouted

Batman curled his feet and spread his wings. He rocketed in the air and he flew over the wall leaving Commissioner Gordon there looking at him fly away.

As Batman was flying, the Batmobile flew into view flying a few inches above him. He pulled up and into the batmobile. He strapped himself in and pushed on the throttle sending the Batmobile speeding towards the burning building.

***X***

* * *

**Mayor's Office**

Mayor Patrick Moore was sitting in his office looking out of his window at the pillar of smoke that was coming from Arkham Asylum in the distance. The Mayor balled up his fist in anger because of what was happening and because of what had happened already.

"Terminal" he growled out to himself.

BEEP!

"M-Mr. M-Mayor…sir…you have some visitors"

The Mayor turned around and reached over and pressed the intercom button.

"I said I didn't want to be disturbed so whoever it is tell….." the Mayor started before his double doors were kicked open and Terminal strolled in with his secretary in one hand and a gun in the other which was aimed at the secretaries head.

"What was that about not being disturbed" said Terminal. As he walked into the office The Dee Dee twins followed and they holding their weapons in their hands and they were leading in some of the mayor's guards. Next was Chucko leading in some guards as well, and then there was Ghoul, Bonk, and lastly Woof.

"TERMINAL YOU GOT SOME BA…" The Mayor started again before a loud explosion caught him off guard.

**BOOOOOOOM!** The mayor turned and looked out of his window and he saw that a few blocks over a Financial building was blown out and it looked like it was about to topple over. The Mayor took a few steps towards the window and then he angrily turned back to Terminal

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TERMINAL!"

"What does it look like…..causing chaos. All you had to do was agree to my terms and none of this would have happened, now every death today is on your hands…Their blood is on your hands" said Terminal and when he said those words the twins, Chucko and Ghoul opened fire on the guards and killed them. The Mayor took a step back in fright.

"And her blood" said Terminal shoving the secretary forward, she stumbled towards the Mayor's desk and she held her head up to look at him.

**BANG! **

"Is on you" Terminal finished. The Mayor stared forwards in shock as he felt his secretary's blood roll down his face. He shakily reached up to his face and put his hand on his cheek and then took it away. He looked at the blood and then at his dead secretary who was sprawled out on his desk.

"You…You…murderer" whispered the Mayor

"A murder you made a deal with" said Terminal as he walked forward and he sat on the edge of the mayor's desk. The mayor sat down in his chair and looked at Terminal with hate in his eyes, but the look didn't phase the psychotic youth.

"So now what….huh….what's your endgame" asked the Mayor angrily

"My endgame is for me to know. As for what happens right now…I'm going to kill you" he said holding out his hand. Deidre walked forward and place a long knife in his outstretched hand.

"WHAT! YOU CAN"T YOU NEED ME!"

"No I don't"

"Okay…..okay you win I agree to your terms" said the Mayor with wide fearful eyes

"No No Mr. Mayor you fucked that up, that deal is off the table" stated Terminal rising from the table and taking a few steps towards the scared Mayor. Terminal grabbed him by the front of his clothes.

"P-Please…..d-don't do this…I have a family….I…."

"Shhhhh" whispered Terminal as he brought his sharp knife closer to the mayor, "Let's put a smile on that face" he growled plunging the knife forward.

"NOOOOO! AHHHHHHHHHH!"

***X***

* * *

**Financial Building**

The Batmobile flew towards the burning building and it hovered in the air.

"Liquid Cement"

"Cement isn't going to do anything for the fire no is it strong enough to stop that building from falling" stated Bruce over the comm.

"Then What"

"Save as many people as you can from that fire" he replied

"Roger that" said Batman pulling the levers and falling out of the Batmobile. He spread his wings and curled his feet and rocketed through on of the glass windows and into the raging fire.

***X***

* * *

**Inside**

"HELP!" a voice yelled out. Batman came to a rolling stop and in a crouch. He looked around for the voice and he saw a woman trying to lift a desk off of her fellow co-worker. Batman rushed over and lifted the desk off of him.

"Thank you" said the man, as the woman helped him to his feet.

"Your welcome…now this way" said Batman making his way over to a door that had exit above it, he kicked open the door and a fire was the only thing he saw all the way down the stairwell.

"Hey does this suit have any type of fire suppress…"

"Third back pocket on the left" came Bruce's voice

Batman pressed said Pocket and it opened he reached in and pulled out a black grenade.

"A Grenade!"

"Just throw it" said Bruce

Batman pulled the pin and tossed it down the stairwell. Batman closed the door

**BOOOOOM!** He opened the door again and he saw the whole stairwell was frozen.

"Schway…Ice bomb" said Batman, he then turned to the two civilians, "GO DOWN NOW!" he shouted. They nodded their heads and they made their way down the frozen stairs careful not to slip.

Batman ran back into the office but just as he ran back in he felt the building started to slant and go downward. He dug his feet into the ground trying to balance himself.

"What the hell is happening?"

"THE BUILDING IS ABOUT TO BREAK APART ARE THERE ANYMORE PEOPLE INSIDE!" shouted Bruce.

"I don't know I was only able to save…..wait I see someone else" said Batman as he glance to the right and he saw a foot behind a desk. He quickly made his way over but all he saw was charred body.

"MCGINNIS!"

"He's dead" he responded

"MCGINNIS GET OUT OF THERE YOU DID ALL YOU COULD GET BACK TO THE BATMOBILE I HAVE AN IDEA!"

Batman curled his feet and rocketed out of the burning building and into the sky. He flew back to the batmobile and he dropped inside.

"What's the plan" he asked

"That fire is gonna keep spreading downward we're gonna have to separate the building" said Bruce.

"How"

"I'm deploying the grappling hooks now…McGinnis this will only work if you hold onto the thrusters and keep them at a certain level if you go below the level then the hooks will snap"

"Yeah No pressure let's do it" said Batman strapping himself in and gripping the thrusters.

***X***

* * *

The Batmobile flew backwards a little and from the front two thick black grapping hooks fired and barreled through the glass and through the fire until it came out on the other side where the hooks gripped the metal siding.

Thrusters roared to life in the front of the batmobile causing it to fly backwards pulling on the hooks. The half of the building that was already weakened from the fire began to groan loudly from the tugging of the batmobile. The Batmobile's thruster suddenly doubled and the building snapped in half and began to plummet to the ground but it was stopped by the Batmobile and the grappling hooks.

***X***

* * *

**Inside Batmobile **

"ERGHHHHH AHHHHHHH!" grunted Batman from the weight of the building. He was trying to keep the thrusters pushed forward so they won't go below the level, but it was too much for him to handle, "CAN"T HOLD IT! AHHHHHH!"

"McGINNNIS KEEP IT TOGETHER!" shouted Bruce

"TOO HEAVY! AHHHHH!" he shouted as his left thruster slid backwards. He quickly grabbed the right thruster with both hands.

***X***

* * *

Suddenly the thrusters on the left side of the batmobile went out causing it to right. The left grabbing hook was ripped out of the batmobile, and the burning half of the building began to swing in the air from the right grappling hook.

***X***

* * *

"MCGINNIS KEEP IT STEADY!"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO!" He growled back as he grabbed hold of the left thruster again and pushed it forward.

***X***

* * *

The left thrusters roared to life and tried to steady the tilted vehicle but then the strain on the right grappling began too great and it snapped causing the burning half to fall towards the street.

***X***

* * *

"FUCK!" shouted Batman as he steered the Batmobile after the falling building, "Deploying back up grappling hooks"

"Its not going to work McGinnis you're going too fast you won't be able to stop it"

"Yes I will…have faith" growled Batman as he pressed a button and the two extra grappling hooks fired from the Batmobile and grabbed hold of the metal siding. With every ounce of strength he had in his body and from the suit, Batman made the batmobile curve upwards.

***X***

* * *

The batmobile flew upwards with the thrusters on full blast and the building started to slow down, just as the ground became closer and closer.

**THUD!** Went the sound of the burning building hitting the ground. The firefighters immediately began to douse the flames with water. The Batmobile disconnected the grappling hooks and hovered in the air.

***X***

* * *

Batman leaned back in his seat and let out a breathe of relief.

"God…that…..that was intense" he said out of breathe. He looked through the viewing screen and he saw that the flames were starting to die down from the water that the firefighters were using.

**BEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP!** Went the sensors in the batmobile.

"Now what" said Batman

"Another Bomb went off…it's at the docks"

"I'm on my way….Jesus….its gonna be a long day" said Batman before he pushed on the thrusters making the Batmobile zoom off into the distance.

***X***

* * *

**Later that Day: 10:00pm: Police Precinct**

Commissioner Barbara Gordon walked into her office and shut her door. She was filthy her clothes had dried blood stains on it, as well as grim and dirt. Today had been one of the longest days of her life and that's saying something considering the life that she has lived. She had been rounding up criminals all day, as well as pulling people from burning buildings, the docks and a few other places, not to mention that the Mayor had been murdered. Barbara let out a sigh as she took off her dirty brown coat and put it on the rack in the corner. She then went to her desk and pulled out a glass and a bottle of bourbon that she kept hidden. She poured herself a big glass and she took a gulp and then sat down. She then picked up her remote and turned the TV in her office on and to the first news station.

***X***

* * *

_**TV**_

"_Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always is Kim Warren and we are bringing you up to date news and tonight's top story the once labeled thugs of the Neo-Gotham the Jokerz have now been elevated to terrorist…Kim_

_Kim: Thanks Tom yes the Jokerz are now considered to be terrorist for their systematic attack on Neo-Gotham. As you can see on your screen ladies and gentlemen their first attack was on the newly redesigned Arkham Asylum_

_Tom: Several Dozen inmates were able to escape, but the few that did escape would have been far greater if it wasn't for the timely arrival of Batman as you can see. He not only stopped the rest of the inmates from escaping but he helped the guards hold them off until back up arrived. _

_Kim: The Jokerz next attack happened on one of the Financial buildings in Neo-Gotham the top floor exploded in a shower of fire that spread downward to through the building, but again Batman was their to help the stretched thin NGCPD. _

_Tom: That's right Kim Batman was able to separated the burning part from the non-burning saving countless lives, but despite the people he saved dozens more lives were lost. _

_Kim: Yes there were three more explosions throughout the day and while Batman showed up at everyone and helped the people he could he was unable to save everyone. _

_Tom: One of the many lives taken today not by the explosions but by the Jokerz was the Mayor Patrick Moore. The mayor, his secretary and a few of his bodyguards were found dead in his office just a few hours ago. The Mayor's face though ladies and gentlemen had been sliced from ear to ear in a Glasgow smile, he bleed to death in a manner of seconds from what the coroners are telling us. _

_Kim: What a minute this just in…one of the bodyguards is alive. He is in intensive care, but he is unconscious, we will bring you more news as we receive it. _

_Tom: On a more lighter note, because of Mayor Patrick Moore's untimely death runner up District Attorney Sam Young has been promoted to Mayor of Neo-Gotham, we now take you to his statement from earlier. _

_***X***_

* * *

_Sam Young: It is with a heavy heart that I take this position as Mayor. I had hoped that I would be able to debate my opponent for the position of Mayor and let you the people choose, but it seems that the Jokerz have done the unthinkable. They have murdered a public servant in cold blood and not only that these…..these terrorist have systematically attacked this great city, well no more ladies and gentlemen….I say no more. We can not let this continue. My first act as mayor is to rid the streets of these psychos, and make Neo-Gotham safe once again…._

_***X***_

* * *

_Tom: I hope he can deliver on his promise Kim _

_Kim" I hope so too Tom, this is Kim Warren_

_Tom: and Tom Monroe reporting….._

_***X***_

* * *

**Police Precinct**

Barbara turned off her TV and finished off her bourbon. She slammed the glass on her desk and she rose to her feet. She was exhausted and she was going home to get some sleep. She knew that after what had happened today she had tons of paperwork to do, but at this point all she wanted to do was take a long hot shower and crawl into bed.

Barbara walked over to the rack and grabbed her jacket and put it on, she then opened her door and exited her office.

Walking through the precinct Barbara passed the officers that worked doing the night barely even acknowledging them and they her. Today was one of the worst days in the NGCPD history and everyone was stilling reeling slightly. Barbara was almost at the door when she stopped and reached into her pocket and felt the disc Damian had given her. She turned around and searched each desk with her eyes until they landed on Detective Montoya Bullock. Barbara made her way over to the Detective who was buried with paperwork.

"Montoya"

"Commissioner" she replied looking up at her

"Listen I have an assignment for you"

"With all due respect Commissioner I'm sorta buried at the moment"

"I know which is why I want any of this paperwork dealing with today's attack on my desk, I'll do it for you" said Barbara

"Wow…that's mighty generous Commissioner…..this must be some assignment"

"It is…..look I need to you to take a look at this disc and compile a list of areas around Gotham where people might want to gather for unscrupulous purposes" she said placing the disc on her desk, "and once you compile the list I need you to give to me A.S.A.P"

"Alright I can do that…..I'll start on it right now" she said picking up the disc

"Good….I'll see you tomorrow" she said heading for the door.

"Night Commissioner"

***X***

* * *

**Mayor's Office**

Barbara sat outside of the Mayor's office in her car, waiting for her husband Sam Young to come out. She was scouting out the area as well seeing if there was any danger, because she knew that not everyone was happy that her husband got the Mayor position, plus there's no telling what the Jokerz might do, but so far the only danger was being questioned to death by the media, who were crowed outside all wait for him to come out as well.

Finally after a few minutes Sam Young came out of the building and he was surrounded by bodyguards.

"MR. MAYOR, MR. MAYOR!" the reporters shouted while cameras were flashing. Sam didn't say anything, he just kept moving with is bodyguards, until his eyes caught sight of his wife's car. He quickly pushed his way through his bodyguards and he quickly got in to her car and it drove off quickly, so quickly that no one was able to see who was driving. Sam's bodyguards were stunned for a moment before they jumped into their cars and attempted to follow.

***X***

* * *

**Barbara and Sam**

"How are you doing beautiful" asked Sam looking at his stressed out wife.

"I need a vacation….I really do"

"Why don't we take one then?"

"I wish but how would that look if the New Mayor of Neo-Gotham took a vacation" she replied with a smile

"You have a point there, but Barbara you do work too hard"

"Not hard enough it seems…..not after today"

"Today can not happen again Barbara….and no one is blaming you for any of this, how could you have known the Jokerz would do something like this" said Sam

"Sam believe it or not there was a time where I used to be good at predicting things depraved minds such as the Jokerz would do…..damn good" said Barbara as she had a brief flashback of her time as Oracle and Batgirl, "But I promise this won't happen again"

"I know it won't" replied Sam, "I'm having a meeting later this week with some of Gotham's more financially blessed individuals to see if they would be willing to lend money to a plan that I have"

"What plan is that?" she asked

"It's called the Neo-Street Sweeper act….its a financial injection into the NGCPD department, new cars, new weapons the whole shebang, and also, the act will provide a monetary bonus for existing officers and for anyone interested in becoming an officer….you often tell me that you need more manpower well with this bill hopefully it will provide incentive for people to join the force"

"That's a pretty bold act" said Barbara as she pulled into their house.

"Well I am a Bold Man" said Sam leaning over and kissing Barbara on the side of the lips. She let out a smile as she opened her door and got out. The husband and wife walked around the car and towards the door. Sam put his hand on the pad and their door swished opened and the two walked inside, with the door swishing closed behind them. Just as they entered the house, the years and years of training as Batgirl and as a police officer kicked in and Barbara instantly knew something was wrong and her hand snaked inside her coat for her gun. The lights flipped on and there in front of her was Terminal covered with splatters of dried blood and a gun aimed at her. On one side of him was Deidre Dennis and on the other was Delilah Dennis. Standing next to the door with a gun pointed at her head was Ghoul and standing on the side with a gun pointed at Sam's head was Chucko. Bonk was on the far side of the house standing next to the window with a gun pointed at the two of them as well, and Woof had his teeth bared and was standing on the kitchen counter.

'_FUCK…..you've defiantly gotten old Barbara'_ she chided herself in her mind. Ghoul with his free hand opened her coat and took the gun out of its holder.

"No Gun for you cutie" he said.

"Hello Mr. Mayor" started Terminal walking forward towards Sam, "I do not believe we've been properly introduced….I'm Terminal, and you're welcomed by the way…if it wasn't for me you wouldn't be Mayor"

"You Goddman murdering psychopath" growled Sam. Terminal took his gun and swung it across Sam's face. Barbara took a step but Ghoul pressed his gun further to her head

"I wouldn't do that" he said

Sam put his hand to his lip and he felt the blood that was flowing freely, he turned an icy glare towards Terminal who had his gun aimed at him.

"This isn't the talking part Mr. Mayor…..this is the listening. I have a proposition for you and if you don't agree to my terms well…..this… is gonna turn into a Night from Hell" said Terminal as a grin formed on his blood splattered face.

* * *

**End Chapter: **** Read and Review. Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. Whew! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, it's been a very busy month, with different things going on in my day to day life, but I won't bore you with the specifics. I just hope that this chapter was worth the wait and I hope that it has answered some of your burning questions but at the same time sparked new ones. As I've told you readers out there before if you have any questions regarding any of my stories feel free to ask. Either ask me in a review or just send me a message and I'll get back to you ASAP…I promise. Well all that's really left to say is please Review(I can't stress that enough) and tune back in next time for the next installment…..this is Nomad88 saying until next time…**

**Ps: If you haven't read and reviewed the latest chapter to TSA: Amazing Spider-man Vol. 2 be sure to head on over and do that, thanks. Also, the writing muse has been hitting me heavily this month and guess what…..A New story is on the horizon and it's name is Secret Warrior: Spider-man, and its about Peter Parker being Nick Fury's top secret super spy, I have much of the ground work for that story laid out, there are only a few minor details I have to work…..such as the ending, but I'll be posting the first chapter of that story soon, So I hope you readers check it out….this is me saying…Later. **

**Ps again: Can anyone tell me why the line breaks keep disappearing everytime I upload, and that is why I'm using the X's for page breaks. **

**Next up: The Night from Hell**


	13. The Night From Hell

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS. I repeat I DO NOT own these characters in fact ALL CREDIT goes to DC. THEY ARE THE OWNERS not me, I am in NO way making any MONEY off of this story. I repeat NO MONEY is being exchanged or handed to me, So I ask please do not SUE ME…..I have no money…thanks…..now on with the story. **

**Hey Readers it's me back with a brand new chapter, SO Read, REVIEW (FEEDBACK is GOLDEN) and of course enjoy…..**

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Night from Hell**

**Flashback: Years Ago: Wayne Penthouse**

Richard-John 'Dick' Grayson stood in front of the mirror adjusting his casual button down shirt and pants. Dick was a handsome man standing at 5'10, 175lbs of pure muscle, black hair, and blue eyes; also Dick was a man that was in his late twenties. Dick has had many names in the past, names that held deep and profound meanings to him. For example one of his first names and perhaps one of his most defining was, Flying Grayson, when he was younger he was 1 part of a family of Acrobats called the Flying Graysons. Dick and his family were star circus performers but that all ended one day when his parents were murdered. Dick was then orphaned until a man adopted him and gave him another name and that name was son. He had become the adopted son of billionaire Bruce Wayne, who at the time was also known as the Batman. After finding out about his adoptive Father's night exploits he instantly wanted in and Bruce reluctantly agreed and from then on Dick Grayson was known as Robin, the boy wonder, the partner or sidekick to the Batman. For years Dick leapt across roof tops, soared through the air, and chased after villains as Robin, until…he grew up. Dick grew from a boy into a young adult and as a young adult he wanted a separate identity from the one he was known by, so it was then he retired the robin persona and created a new name for himself, it was then that he became known as Nightwing. As Nightwing, Dick established himself in a new city, a city that was far worse than Gotham. It was the city of Bludhaven, a place where all of the thugs and gangs went when they realized that Batman owned Gotham. After a few years of defending Bludhaven and after Bludhaven was destroyed, Dick found himself back in Gotham and just in time too. Gotham had become over run with crime again because of word of Batman's death after an event that the superhero community was calling: The Final Crisis. Dick knew that after Bruce's apparent 'death' there still was a need for Batman, so as the prodigal son to Bruce Wayne it was only fitting that he became the new Batman. Dick had the privilege of being Batman for a few months until the triumphant return of Bruce Wayne the original Batman. Batman saw the good work that Dick was doing while he was gone and did the only logical thing he could think of, he told Dick he can stay being Batman, creating two Batmen to keep Gotham safe.

Dick stepped away from the mirror and he let out a sigh of happiness, he had come full circle some would say. He went from the boy wonder to the Dark Knight and he couldn't be happier, but despite that fact, the reason why he was in a good mood had nothing to do with Batman. Being Batman was no easy feet mostly because one was living two different lives. The night life leaping across rooftops and apprehending villains and then there was the Morning life or social life, which is where being Batman makes things hard. Dick has had many girlfriends in the past and even a fiancée but none of them worked because of his life as Batman, so he was extremely happy when Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl accepted his offer for dinner…..as friends of course but he knew it was only a matter of time before they became a couple again. Barbara was Dick's first love, ever since they met he had been enamored with her and she him. In the beginning when they realized their feelings for each other they were very hot and heavy, but that all ended when she was paralyzed by the Joker. She took it hard and just retreated away from everyone including him. He respected her wishes and gave her space but he knew they would never be the same and he was right because it was then that they broke up and she urged him to find someone else. He tried, but he didn't find anyone that came close to her. As the years went by they still remained close friends being there for the other through life changing events such as: he becoming Nightwing and she becoming Oracle, he becoming Batman and then she running the Birds of Prey, but while all of this was going on he never stopped thinking about her. Once Bruce return everything changed again, because after his return she and him found a way to restore her legs to their former glory, and they succeeded. Dick was there through every moment and he remembered that once her legs where working again she and him were able to properly hug for the first time in what seemed liked forever and he enjoyed every minute of it, but with every good moment there is an equally bad moment. Around the same time she got her legs back it was a few months later that her father James Gordon was murdered by an unknown figure. Again Barbara retreated from everyone….except Bruce. She and Bruce spent countless nights scouring Gotham trying to find out who murdered her father but to no avail, the trail had gone cold. Barbara was visibly upset and depressed and it stayed that way for a while, until a few weeks ago. She started to be her spunky self again and she started to be the Barbara that he fell in love with years ago, so a few days ago he asked her out for a night on the town, without the tights and capes, and she agreed, and now the night had finally come.

"Grayson….you're a handsome devil" he said looking at his reflection. He brushed his hand through his hair again and he exited the lavish Bathroom and into his bedroom. As he entered his bedroom he saw his partner in crime fighting for the past several years, the teenage Damian Wayne sitting on his bed looking at him.

"Is there something I can help you with Damian"

"Grayson….you look…..like you're going out" said Damian

"Nice detective skills" Dick replied sarcastically

"Where are you going if you don't mind me asking?"

"Out"

"Obviously….but where and with whom"

"I'll tell you…only if you tell me who was that girl you were talking to when…" started Dick

"Stop…..never mind" said Damian getting off of Dick's bed and heading for the door

Dick smiled at Damian; he knew talking about his love life would get him to drop the subject. Dick went to one of the drawers in his room and he opened it and removed a bottle of cologne and he sprayed a small amount. He then put the cologne back and he exited the room and found himself in the lavish and opulent living room, where Damian was doing some push ups.

"Don't wait up"

"Wasn't planning too" replied Damian

Dick went to the front door and he left the Penthouse.

* * *

**Barbara Gordon's Apartment 10:00pm**

Dick stood outside of the apartment. He checked his breath and smelling that it was fine he held up his hand and knocked on the door.

**KNOCK! KNOCK!** Went Dick knocking at the door. He waited but he didn't hear anyone coming to the door. He was about to knock again when he heard something.

"MMMMM" came a soft sound from inside her apartment. Dick scrunched up his face in confusion and he put his ear to the door and he heard the sound again only this time it was louder.

'_Sounds like…..someone is….moaning'_ he thought to himself, '_Barbara!'_ he continued to think frantically. Dick reacted instantly he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tool kit that he always kept on him. He took out a few items and he began to pick the lock.

**CLICK!** Came the soft sound of him unlocking the door. He silently and stealthily opened the door. The room was dark. Dick instantly turned on his years and years of training. Preparing himself for anything. He crept along the living room using the moonlight from outside to guide him through the room.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" came a loud moan. Dick turned to the hallway that led further into Barbara's apartment. He silently started down the hall until he came to the bedroom, he could see a dim light coming from under the cracks. He grabbed the knob and twisted it gently and slowly. The door opened and he peeked inside and his eyes instantly widen in shock.

There in the room on the bed rolling and writhing with passion were the naked forms of the love of his life Barbara Gordon and his adoptive father/mentor Bruce Wayne. Dick stood there and watched his eyes feeling like they were burning and his heart was threatening to burst from his chest it was beating so fast. He watched and every thrust that Bruce gave was like a knife into his heart, and every gasp/moan of joy from Barbara was like the knife was twisting further into his chest.

Dick lowered his head and slowly and silently backed away from the door his eyes still glued to the scene, until he got a good enough distance away, but he could still hear what was going on. He turned and made his way back into the living room. He stood in the living breathing deep and heavily.

Dick turned his gaze back to Barbara's door when he heard a giggle and his head sank in sadness slightly. He quickly but still silently made his way out of the Apartment making sure to lock the door back. He made his way away from the apartment door a not once thought about looking back.

* * *

**Few Days Later: Wayne Penthouse**

**BEEP! BEEP! **

Damian Wayne walked out of his room looked around the living room. He saw Dick's cell phone ringing.

"DICK! PHONE!"

Damian looked around but there was no sign of Dick. He shrugged his shoulder and went to the phone. He picked it up and answered it.

"Dick" came Bruce's voice on the phone.

"Father"

"Damian, Where's Dick"

"Don't Know"

"Find him there is an emergency call coming in from GCPD"

"Is it Dangerous?"

"NO Just routine call…..robbery in progress needs Batman's Help"

"Why can't you answer it?"

"Because I can't now hurry" replied Bruce before hanging up.

* * *

**Wayne Manor**

Bruce exited the bat cave and entered the dinning room where Alfred had just finished putting dinner on the table. Barbara was sitting in one of the chairs in a beautiful blue dress.

"Emergency" she asked looking at him as he sat down

"No just routine…Dick and Damian can handle it" he said picking up his glass of wine

* * *

**Wayne Penthouse: Gym **

Dick did a cartwheel in the air and then landed gracefully on the pommel horse. He grabbed the handles and began to spin around and around until he did a hand stand on the handles and then flipped off.

**CLAP CLAP!** Dick turned to the sound to see Damian standing there in full Robin Gear.

"Where are you going" Dick said in a monotone voice.

"We got a call out"

"Why can't Bruce do it….it's our night off"

"He said he couldn't do it…..but I think he's on a date" said Damian walking towards Dick.

"W-What makes you say that" Dick stuttered.

"Well he was wearing a dinner jacket and as far as I know there is no Wayne function tonight so…"

"Okay" Dick said quickly interrupting him, "I'll be ready in a second" he said passing by Damian

* * *

**15 minutes Later**

Batman and Robin were in the batmobile driving after the criminals that were fleeing away from the cops. Batman stepped on the gas and made the batmobile double in speed. The batmobile passed by the cops and started to approach the fleeing vehicle; Batman jerked the steering wheel and made the batmobile ram the car causing it to spin out of control and crash.

The thieves jumped out of the car and proceed to run away as fast as they could. The top of the batmobile slid open and Batman and Robin jumped out and proceeded to pursue the fleeing criminals.

Robin reached his criminals first and pulled out a batarang and threw it, the batarang separated and revealed a long wire that wrapped around the thugs ankles making them fall down. He walked over to them and gave each of his criminals a hard punch in the face knocking them out. Robin then turned his head and searched for his partner and found him a few feet away pummeling his criminals mercilessly.

Robin looked on as he saw Batman beat each of the criminals within an inch of their lives. Batman delivered punches that should only be reserved for supervillians or Meta humans, not for some thugs that only wanted to get rich. Robin turned his head as he heard the police arriving on the scene. He knew that this wouldn't look good in front of them, so he pulled out a double grappling hook. He aimed one end at Batman and the other end at the rooftop above and then he fired. One end of the grappling hook, wrapped around Batman's arm, and then other gripped the edge of the roof. Robin pressed the retract button and they both were yanked up to the roof top above just as the police appeared.

* * *

**Rooftop**

Batman did a roll and was on his feet he turned his arm and used the razor sharp fins on his suit to cut the grappling hook. He turned to face Robin who landed a few feet away from him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Robin" he growled

"I should be asking you that same question" Robin retorted, "Those thugs didn't deserve that type of beating"

'This coming from you, the poster child for using unnecessary force"

"It's called Maturing Batman…..and I've done a lot of it, you're the one that's acting immature as of late…just what the hell is your problem"

"Nothing"

"It has to be something….you know you're behavior started to change when you got back from that date a few days ago"

"Shut up" said Batman angrily

"Bingo. We have a winner. This must've been some girl for you to get this worked up over"

"Shut up"

"What happened did you not get any?"

"Damian I swear to God"

"Did she dump you?"

"Shut up"

"I know….she stood you up and was with someone….." Robin started before Batman charged with a punch that connected with his mouth. Robin was knocked to the ground with a busted lip. Batman looked at him and immediately regretted his actions.

"Damn it…..I-I'm sorry Robin…..I-I…" he started before his feet were swept from under him. Batman did a cartwheel and sprung a few feet away, he landed in crouch and had just enough time to block a punch from Robin, but he missed the knee to the side and then the head butt. Batman's head reared back from the strike but while he was going back he grabbed the front of Robin's suit and pulled him forward and flipped him over his head tossing him away. Robin did a handspring and landed in a crouch.

"Robin I'm sorry" said Batman trying to apologize.

"I know you are Grayson, but something is bugging you and if you don't get it off of your chest now you're gonna end up killing someone….but you won't be able to do that against me because I can fight back. Now shut up and BRING IT!" shouted Robin.

Robin charged at Batman and jumped in the air trying to deliver a flying kick. Batman ducked and the pivoted bring his leg around for a roundhouse. Robin landed on the ground and blocked the roundhouse and grabbed his leg. Batman did a hop and brought his other leg up to kick Robin in the head but Robin ducked under the kick. In a show of grace and agility Batman used his momentum to twist his body, yanking his foot out of Robin's grip and kicked him in the stomach. Robin took a few steps back and let out a breath. The kick had knocked some of the wind out of him. Batman flipped to his feet and got into a fighting stance, Robin shrugged the kick off and got into his own stance. Batman and Robin stared at each other and then in an instance they charged.

* * *

**15 minutes Later**

"HE-YAH!" shouted Robin as he punch Batman in the face, he then grabbed him by the neck and brought him in for two quick knee shots to the stomach. Robin then grabbed his horns and then flipped him, but Batman countered and landed on his feet and brought his head up hitting Robin in the chin. Batman then grabbed him and brought him in for an elbow to the jaw and then a back fist with the same hand. Robin stumbled back and in a last ditch effort spun on his right foot and delivered a spinning back kick to Batman's face. Both fighters fell to the ground in exhaustion. They fell in a position to where they were facing each other, they laid there looking at the other and breathing hard. After a few seconds of recovering their breath Batman averted his gaze and looked at the sky.

"Draw" he said

"Draw" Robin repeated, "Well….that certainly…..was intense" Robin continued as he looked at the sky as well.

Batman didn't say anything he just laid there staring at the sky for the longest. Robin glanced at him not pressuring him, but wondering was he going to say anything, but he didn't have to wait any longer but it was at that moment that Batman chose to speak.

"It was Barbara" he said finally

"You mean your date…." asked Robin with wide eyes

"Yes….and No. I-I asked her out to dinner….and we kinda agreed that it was a just friends type of thing, but I was hoping that the just friends dinner would turn into something more"

"and it didn't….wow I'm surprised, the way you guys used to be around each other…very sickening, I was getting tired of that will they get together or won't they"

"Yeah" said Batman in a dejected tone.

"So she turned you down"

"In a way" he replied, turning his head towards Robin "I-I went to her apartment….we were supposed to meet at the restaurant, but I couldn't wait, so I went to her apartment to see if we could walk there together, when I heard some sounds coming from inside. So I snuck in and followed the sounds"

"And"

"And it led me to her bedroom…..where she was with someone" he said still in his sad and dejected tone.

"Ouch…well who was she with"

"Bruce"

"WHAT?" shouted Robin sitting up in shock and looking at Batman with wide eyes, "No….No…Dick a-are you sure it was…..m-y father"

"Damian…..how could I not be sure about something like this…I saw the two of them….and"

"Okay Okay Okay….I can imagine….not that I want to, but damn…my father and Barbara…..ewwww" said Robin, but then he looked and saw Dick sit up and despite being in costume he could tell this was really eating him up inside, "I'm sorry Dick"

"Yeah me too" he replied

They sat there both in there own worlds, Dick more so than Damian. Damian looked at him again not knowing what to say, so he said the only thing that came to his mind.

"Well...you still have me Dick"

Batman turned to look at him, and for the first time in what seemed like a long time a smile crept along his face, and the smile turned into a laugh, and the two of them shared a laugh with each other.

"Thanks Damian….I really needed…."

"Say no more…With news like that I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did without exploding on anyone…..namely my father…..or Barbara"

"Well what can I do….we weren't together so its not like she was cheating, I guess the problem lies with me for thinking that we could be like we once were…..I guess that time is over" he said standing up, "Come on let's go home"

"Let's" he replied standing up.

They both began heading for the edge of the roof when five Batarangs landed in-between them, and began to beep loudly. They both looked down at the beeping batarangs and they both yelled the same thing.

"SHIT!" they both yelled jumping away. Batman jumped to the left and Robin jumped to the right just as the batarangs exploded.

**BOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

**Down below**

The explosion blew Robin off of the roof where he fell to the ground below and he hit a closed green trash bin roughly. He bounced off of the trash bin and landed on the dirty alley concrete.

"ARGH!" he groaned in pain. He looked up to see smoke still rising from the roof, but then something caught his eye. On the edge of the roof on the next building stood a shadowy figure cloaked in a black hood. The figure reached down and pulled out a dual rocket launcher and aimed it at the Batmobile. Robin's eyes widen as he saw what he was aiming for, he quickly got to his feet.

"LOCKDOWN….. CODE 003…" he managed to shout.

The Batmobile gave a beep before it started to shield itself, armored windows, tires and siding, but it wasn't fast enough. The figure pressed the button and two rockets flew out and struck the Batmobile blowing pieces of it everywhere.

"NOOOO!" shouted Robin, looking on as chunks of metal that flew from the batmobile. He looked up at the figure only to see Batman tackle him and they went skidding across the roof out of sight. Robin pulled out a grapping hook and aimed it at the roof and fired. The grappling hook pulled him upwards, but as he was going up he was tackled out of the sky. He and his assailant went tumbling to the ground, with the assailant on top of Robin. Before the assailant said anything Robin immediately knew who it was,

'_KILLER CROC!_' he thought frantically trying his best to block the razor sharp teeth from biting him in half.

"GOIN SOMEWHERE BOY WONDER!" growled Killer Croc, menacingly trying to bite Robin's neck. Robin was using his hands and feet to block Killer Croc's massive green head, and razor sharp teeth.

"ARGH!" he groaned out feeling Croc starting to overpower him. Thinking quickly Robin reached for his utility belt and pulled out a batarang and stabbed in into Killer Croc's nose.

"RAHHHHHHHHH!" he shouted rearing back in pain. Robin managed to roll out of the way and get to his feet, but Croc had already recovered and was charging. He reared back his sharp clawed hand and took a massive swipe at Robin's chest.

"AHHHHHHH!" Robin shouted out in pain as his armor was ripped to shreds and Croc's claws caught skin, Croc then kicked Robin in the chest with his equally massive foot. Robin was lifted off of the ground and went flying back where he hit the ground hard. Croc liked his claws and Robin's blood

"TONIGHT YOU AND THE BAT DIE!" he yelled lunging at Robin again.

* * *

**Roof top above**

Batman tackled the shadowy cloaked figure and they both went skidding across the roof top. The shadowy figure kicked Batman off of him and flipped to his feet. Batman did a flip in mid air and landed on his feet to face his opponent.

"You again" said Batman

"That's right Bat-Man….me again" the figure replied

A few months ago Batman and Robin, had run into the shadowy figure and they had both fought him to a stalemate. The figure didn't say anything as to his goals or wishes like most villains. He just appeared and started to fight them and he was a talented and fierce fighter.

"Who are you…what do you want"

"I want…..to have some fun...HAHAHAHA" he said before producing a Bo staff with razor sharp blades on each end. He twirled his staff and then charged at Batman. Batman produced two sharp batarangs and charged forward as well.

The Figure thrusted the bladed end first, but Batman blocked it, the figure then turned and threw a kicked aimed for his head. Batman ducked and went for a sweep. The Figure anticipated the sweep and jumped in the air twirled his double bladed staff and brought it downward, Batman saw the blades coming flipped out of the way in the nick of time.

"HAHA Ever the acrobat…..eh Bat-Man…or would you prefer Dick Grayson" said the figure. Batman's eyes widen at the mention of his name

"WHO ARE YOU!"

"That's not part of the game"

The Figure charged again only this time doubling the speed of his attacks.

* * *

**Street Level**

Killer Croc grabbed Robin by the cape slammed him on the ground and then tossed him into the street.

**SCREEEEEEH!** Went the sound of a car swearing out of the way. Robin had just enough time to roll out of the way. His costume was in shreds, and he had cuts all over his body, but he was still in the fight. He painfully flipped to his feet and he searched for Killer Croc who was already charging at him. Robin waited for him while secretly pulling out two batarangs. Croc neared him and tried to swipe at him with his large claws, Robin ducked and threw both batarangs that imbedded themselves into Crocs scaly legs, they gave off a beep before exploding, a thick cement substance wrapped around his legs causing him to fall flat on his face. Robin knew that wasn't going to stop Croc for long, but was enough to stall to him to come up with a new plan.

**BOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of an explosion. Robin turned to the roof where Batman and the shadowy figure were fighting and he saw the smoke.

'_Dick'_ he thought in his mind. He knew Dick would need some help fighting that shadowy figure, so he needed to end the fight with Croc quickly. Robin saw that Croc was already clawing his way through the concrete adhesive and he would be free in a few seconds, he looked around and he saw a fire hydrant and a planned formed in his mind. He pulled out another two batarangs from his utility belt and he ran towards the fire hydrant. Killer Croc freed himself and he let out a growl before charging at the boy wonder. Robin waited and he threw one batarang at the hydrant blowing it open and dousing Killer Croc in water but he wasn't fazed by the water and kept charging. Robin threw the second batarang and it hit him and let out a powerful electric shock.

"RAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted out Killer Croc as the electricity surged through his body and it was amplified by the water that he was soaked in, Killer Croc hit the ground unconscious. Robin let out a sigh of relief but he couldn't rest because he remembered Dick. He pulled out a grappling hook and aimed it at the roof. The grappling hook fired and it pulled him to the roof

* * *

**Roof top**

Robin reached the edge of the roof to see Batman and the shadowy figure in an intense fight. Batman's armor was in shreds and he could see skin that looked sliced and was bleeding profusely, and his cape was missing like it was sliced off. The shadowy figure's cloak was in tattered and threatening to fall off and blood was dripping for his wounds as well. Robin also saw the shadowy figure's skin and he could make out the chalk white color.

'_This is our chance to finally find out who this bastard is'_ thought Robin pulling out a batarang. He threw a batarang at the figure's cloak, but at the last minute the figure turned and used his bladed Bo staff to slice the batarang in half, but he took his eyes off of Batman and that earned him a powerful kick in the spine, which knocked him down.

Robin hopped onto the roof and ran to stand next to Batman.

"What kept you?"

"Killer Croc" he replied

The Shadowy figure shakily stood up and turned to face Batman and Robin. He gave his Bo staff a twirl and then he let out a sickening and hideous laugh that reminded them of one the Joker always gave off before he unleashed a sickening plan that usually left people dead. The figure charged and took a swipe at Robin who ducked, the figure pivoted and brought his staff around to Batman who blocked the blade and delivered a roundhouse to the figure's chest that made him skid back, and then Robin delivered his own roundhouse that made him skid back even further. The Figure put a hand on his chest in pain but then he looked up at the two of them

**BEEP BEEP BEEP!** Batman and Robin looked down and saw several small disc on the ground beeping.

**BOOOOM!** The explosion rocked the both of them to the core and sent them flying apart. Robin's costume was in shreds before but now it was in tatters, he tried to force himself to move but his body wasn't responding and his ears were ringing. He could see blood dripping down his head and into his eyes. Through the smoke Robin could make out the figure slowly approaching him. The figure reached him and looked at him and then stomped on his stomach as hard as he could. Over and Over the figure stomped Robin in his stomach. The shadowy figure brandished his bladed Bo Staff and held a sharp end at Robin's throat. Robin looked up and through the cloak he could make out obsidian eyes, but the eyes held no spirit, they looked almost dead like.

"Good bye boy wonder hahahahahahaha" laughed the figure raising his staff.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" shouted a voice. Robin looked and saw Batman in the air with kick aimed at the figure, but at the last minute the figure turned and with his bladed Bo Staff did two quick motions at the approaching Batman. Robin watched in absolute horror as he saw Batman's left foot and left hand separate from his body and land in a bloody heap on the roof top.

"ARGH! RAHHHHHHHH!H!" yelled Batman in agony. He was writhing on the roof in pain and blood spewing everywhere.

"BATMAN!" Robin shouted

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!"** laughed the figure. Robin glanced up at him, and then he reached into his utility belt that was barely hanging on and he pulled out a double grapping hook. He shot the first end at the figure and it wrapped around him and then he quickly sat up and aimed it at the building a few blocks over and he fired. The grappling hook retracted and pulled the shadowy figure along but not before he was able to slash Robin on the arm. Robin watched as he was pulled away and then crawled over to Batman who had passed out.

"Dick!" he said. The Batman costume was practically gone and he could see Dick's face. He saw that Dick was loosing a lot of blood and his injuries were beyond his capability of fixing he need to get him back to the cave and to his father. Robin pushing through his injuries lifted Dick up over his shoulder. He went to the edge and jumped off.

* * *

**Down below**

Robin landed on the ground and tossed away his grappling hook. He then ran/limped with Dick over his shoulder to the halfway destroyed Batmobile and he gently placed him inside.

"Hold on Dick…..don't die on me" said Robin frantically as he got in himself, "Please God work" he said while starting up the Batmobile. The batmobile started up but it sounded terrible. Robin stepped on the gas and it started to move but as it started a back tired popped, but Robin ignored it and kept flooring the peddle hopping to reach the cave in time to save his brother Dick Grayson.

* * *

**Roof Top**

The shadowy figure stood on top of the roof watching the batmobile speed off into the night.

"Run…..Run…..and bring my true target…and then the fun can really begin HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA" he laughed

* * *

**Bat Cave**

The Batmobile came to a crashing stop into the Bat Cave. The door opened and then fell off and a tattered and bloodied Damian Wayne aka Robin stepped out.

"ALFRED!"

* * *

**Present 9:30pm**

Damian Wayne aka The Gray Ghost cracked open his eyes and he let out a groan of pain. The first thing he noticed besides the aches and bruises that racked his body was the smoke that clouded his vision and the approaching fire. He rolled away from the fire before it could touch him. He slowly stood up and surveyed his surroundings. He was in a burning chemical plant.

When the Jokerz made their broadcast, Damian and Yinn reluctantly but immediately donned their outfits and ventured out to try help as many people as they could from the explosions that were rocking the city. All day they had been saving people from exploding buildings, warehouse, schools, etc. The latest and by Damian's count the last bomb that Terminal had said that he and the Jokerz planted, had taken them to a chemical plant at the edge of town. The bomb had gone off and blown up a section of the chemical plant. Damian and Yinn got there as fast as they could hoping to save the people and just as they arrived, Batman arrived as well, but before they could do anything another explosion rocked the chemical planet throwing them in disarray.

"Ugh…..YINN!" Gray Ghost shouted out trying his best to peer through the smoke and all of the wreckage.

"Hey!"

The Gray Ghost whipped around to the voice that was calling out. He walked a few paces and he saw Batman trying to move a metal beam off of Yinn.

"Give me a hand with this thing" said Batman. The Gray Ghost quickly ran over and grabbed hold of one end of the beam.

"On three….one….two…Three!" he shouted. He and Batman both lifted the metal beam and Yinn scooted from under the beam.

"ARGH!" he let out a groan.

"Are you alright Yinn" asked the Gray Ghost

"No…..my leg" he said looking at his right leg that was sliced open, "We have to hurry before I lose my leg, I lost my elixir in the explosion" he groaned out.

"Boy where is the Batmobile"

"Boy" Batman repeated

"WHERE IS IT!" the Gray Ghost roared

"In the air" he replied. The Gray Ghost looked up and he could make out a glass skylight that was busted.

"What about the people in here" asked Yinn,

The Gray Ghost looked around and could see nothing but fire and the way it was spreading he knew another explosion wasn't too far behind, "It's too late we have to get out of here"

"I'm not leaving" said Batman

"Idiot Boy, you can't save everyone. We're too badly unprepared, we have to get out of here before we die" said The Gray Ghost forcefully while pulling out a grappling hook. He pointed it upwards and fired. The grappling hook went through the skylight and hooked onto the edge. Gray Ghost leaned down and picked up Yinn as carefully as he could and he pressed the button on the grappling hook. They were yanked upwards. Batman watched them go and he looked around. Flames and debris were everywhere and so was smoke shrouding everything. Batman reluctantly had to agree with the Gray Ghost on the fact that he had to leave. He spread his wings and curled his toes and he rocketed towards the skylight.

* * *

**Chemical Plant Roof**

Batman rocketed through the skylight and he saw The Gray Ghost firing another grappling hook at the hovering Batmobile. Batman flew towards the Batmobile and he remotely opened the hatch and he dropped inside. A few seconds later the Gray Ghost and Yinn dropped inside as well.

"Drive" he said

**BABOOOOOOOOOM!** Went the rest of the Chemical plant as it blew up in an impressive show of destruction. The three vigilantes watched through the viewing screen of the batmobile and they each gritted their teeth because of the chaos the Jokerz had caused. Batman pulled and pushed on the levers and directed the Batmobile to fly away into the night, just as the police cars showed up on the scene.

* * *

**Penthouse**

The Gray Ghost burst into the penthouse; he was quickly followed by Batman who was helping the injured Yinn inside.

"This is where you guys live" said Batman looking at the extremely lavish living room.

"Its….its something isn't it" Yinn struggled to say.

"Put him down on the couch" said Gray Ghost as he disappeared into one of the rooms. Batman gently helped Yinn to the couch. Yinn leaned up and ripped his pants leg to reveal his extensive injury. His leg was split open to the point where anyone could see muscle and bone.

"Jesus" whispered Batman looking at the injury

"Do not worry I've survived worse" said Yinn in optimism.

The Gray Ghost returned with what looked like a water pouch, he pushed Batman out of the way and then pulled back his hood to reveal the face of Damian Wayne. Damian knelt down next to Yinn's wounded leg.

"Okay Yinn…how do I use this thing again"

"Only use the amount needed to heal the injury not one drop more or one drop less" he stated serious.

"Well how much is that" asked Batman looking at the injured leg.

"Quite kid…..I'm thinking" said Damian looking at the wound and doing mental calculations in his mind, after a second he made up his mind and he opened the water pouch and held it over Yinn's injured leg. From out of the pouch a deep green liquid fell into the wound. Damian poured enough of the liquid into the wound and quickly took it away. The liquid started to seep into the wound and Batman's eyes widen as the wound began to shift and pull together until it was fully healed.

"Schway….what is that stuff and where can I get some"

"You don't need any of this kid" said Damian putting the top on the pouch.

"Very good Master Wayne you poured the correct amount I do not feel any type of madness" said Yinn standing up and flexing his leg, "Argh" he grunted in pain, "Still a little sore, I should be fine by tomorrow"

"Good…..I would hate it if you went crazy on me" he said

"Wait hold on Master Wayne" said Batman, "Who the hell are you"

"I see the old man still hasn't told you huh…not surprised…I'm Damian…Damian Wayne. I'm Bruce's son"

"WHAT?" shouted Batman

"Keep your voice down McGinnis" said Damian

"Hey how do you know my name?" he asked

"I told you I'm Bruce's son…some of his habits have rubbed off on me" said Damian

"Point taken….wow…son"

"Listen McGinnis you need to stop being Batman right now"

"Master Wayne….." started Yinn

"Quiet Yinn he needs to hear this. Kid being Batman might seem fun now but this road that your walking on is paved with heartache and betrayal…..everyone who has worn that suit has regretted it…..you need to give it up now" said Damian seriously, "Barbara was supposed to talk to you about this, but she is taking to long so I'm doing it and I'm telling you…..….give it up"

"Look thanks for the advice…."

"It wasn't advice…..more like a demand" said Damian with narrow eyes.

"A demand" Batman repeated

"That's right…the Legacy of Batman died years ago…it should stay dead"

"Someone sounds bitter" replied Batman

Damian didn't reply but just stared at him and Batman stared back. The staring contest went on for a long minute until the communicator in Batman's mask came to life again.

_**KRZZZZZZZZZZZZ**__ McGinnis __**KRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**_

"Yeah I'm here"

'Can…..Can you hear me" asked Bruce

"Yeah loud and clear"

'I can't see you, the video feed in the mask has been damaged what is going on'

"The chemical plant blew up before I could help anybody get out"

"…..you did what you could. Where are you right now' Bruce asked

"Right now I'm staring a the Gray Ghost…..or should I say Damian Wayne, your Son" said Batman

'SO he told you'

"Yeah…I'm curious though why didn't you tell me"

"….Terry, get to the batmobile you have to get to Neo-Gotham General quick"

"You didn't answer…."

"Now McGinnis" said Bruce cutting the link.

Batman looked at Damian who was still staring at him.

"Look…..I don't care if you are the old man's son…..I don't take demands from anyone. I'm Batman and I'm staying Batman. Now I gotta go" he said turning and heading for the window. He opened the window. He turned to face Damian and Yinn one last time and then he jumped out of the window.

"Well sir…what now" asked Yinn

"I'll deal with him later. Right now rest up…..tomorrow we go after Powers" he said turning and heading towards his bedroom.

* * *

**10:10pm Neo-Gotham General**

Batman landed on the roof of the hospital.

"Why the hell am I here…..I'm exhausted" he said out loud

'Get over it….you're here because something doesn't add up"

Batman went to the door that led to the roof, he produced a lock pick from his index finger and he inserted into the lock. He jingled his hand around in the lock and he heard a click. He opened the door and he went inside.

"What doesn't add up" he whispered back.

'The Jokerz attack on the city' said Bruce from over their communication link.

"They're maniacs…nothing they do makes sense" Batman whispered as he stood at the top of the steps.

'True…but this attack….look I've done a city wide map of their attack and each attack was in a semi-populated area'

"So"

'So…..the attacks were spread out almost as if they were a huge diversion'

"Diversion…Diversion from what"

'Killing the Mayor' replied Bruce 'While you were out saving people from the explosions a report was made and the mayor was killed he was sliced ear to ear by the Jokerz…..but the mayor was the only one of the victims today not blown up…..why is that. Why was he killed by a knife and not by explosion….there is a piece to the puzzle that is missing' Bruce continued

"Okay but that still doesn't answer the question as to why I'm here at Neo General"

'There was a survivor to the Mayor's attack today one of his bodyguards'

"Ah….questioning" said Batman, "Alright sounds like a plan, what floor is on"

"I'm scanning…..4th floor intense care unit room 420'

Batman reached down to his belt and turned the circular knob on his belt and his camouflage activated. He proceeded to make his way down the steps.

* * *

**Room 420**

The door to the room opened up and Batman snuck inside. He gently closed the door and then looked around the room to see the bodyguard laying in the bed breathing steadily, with his heart monitor beeping the same way. Batman walked over to the edge of the bed and he picked up the chart.

"He had has multiple gun shot wounds….doctors are surprised that he lived"

'Wake him up'

"The guy is on death's door"

'We have to find out what he knows…..in your utility belt 9th pocket is powerful yet harmless stimulant, spray it into his nose' said Bruce.

Batman pressed the pocket and it opened, he reached in a he pulled out a small compact inhaler. He crept up to the injured bodyguard and he lifted up his oxygen mask and he pressed down on the inhaler and a thin blue mist sprayed out and the bodyguard breathed it in. Batman looked down at him and his eyes widen slightly when the guards eyes slowly opened. The bodyguard let out a loud groan of pain, but he was silenced by Batman.

"SHHHHH….I know you are in pain, but do try to keep the noise down" he said with his hand over the man's mouth,

"mmmmmm" the bodyguard groaned out, signifying that he understood

"Good….listen you have some information that I need, the Jokerz….why did they kill the mayor….what happened in that office" asked Batman. He slowly removed his hand from the man's mouth.

"T….They…." started the man before he had to stop and take a deep breathe trying to block out the pain, "T-They….wanted to re-negotiate the…deal"

"Deal…..what deal" asked Batman

"The…..mayor struck a deal with the Jokerz….when he first got into office….in exchange for…..making it look like…the streets were clean….they got their own private section….of Gotham"

"You mean the eastside of Neo-Gotham"

"Y-Yes…..but….with the re-election going on….The Jokerz tried to s-strong arm the mayor for…..for more territory" the bodyguard struggled to say.

"And he refused" Batman finished

"R-Right….ugh" groaned the Bodyguard as his heart monitor started beep rapidly. Batman backed away. He turned to the door when he heard footsteps, he turned the circular dial on his belt and his camouflaged activated just as the nurses and doctors burst through the doors. Batman made his way out of the room and back to the roof.

* * *

**Roof**

"So the freaking mayor was in league with the Jokerz" said Batman once he was on the roof.

'It would appear that way'

"Great…no wonder they've been untouchable all of this time"

'McGinnis focus….the bodyguard said that the mayor declined their renegotiations right'

"Yeah….so….wait…..the re-election, since the mayor declined, they figure they can just strong arm the new mayor….Sam Young" finished Batman in shock

'You have to find him now…he's in danger I'm already contacting Barbara, but her phone is disconnected'

"Where should I start" asked Batman

"The Mayor's office downtown Neo-Gotham and McGinnis hurry' said Bruce

"I'm already gone" he replied curling his toes and flying to the batmobile.

* * *

**Young Household: same time: 10:15pm**

"This isn't the talking part Mr. Mayor…..this is the listening. I have a proposition for you and if you don't agree to my terms well…..this… is gonna turn into a Night from hell" said Terminal with a grin on his blood splattered face.

**RING! RING!** Terminal turned his head to Barbara, because her cell phone was ringing.

"Ghoul" he said

Ghoul got a smirk on his face as he reached into Barbara's pant's pocket and pulled out her cell phone. He dropped it on the ground and then stomped on it, destroying the phone.

"Shall I frisk her to see if she has anymore goodies on her" asked Ghoul with a perverted grin on his face.

"Go ahead" said Terminal.

Ghoul's grin widen as he stood behind Barbara, he started with her arms and felt to see if she hand anything in her sleeves. Feeling nothing his slimy hand started to travel across chest and rest there for a moment Barbara gritted her teeth in anger.

'_Keep it together Barbara'_ she thought to herself as she surveyed the situation. Terminal was in front of Her, Ghoul was behind her, and Chucko was on the side, '_Too many…but I've got to try'_ she continued to think.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY WIFE!" Sam roared seeing Ghoul with his hands on her chest.

"Shut up old man" said Chucko as he kicked him in the back of the leg making him fall down to a knee.

Ghoul continued to frisk Barbara, his hand travel across her stomach and then down to her legs and then to her butt where he gave it a hard squeeze, while leaning into her ear.

"Mmmmm…Nice and firm for a chick your age, maybe before this is over we could….argh!" he started before Barbara reared her head back and hit him in the nose breaking it, she then brought her foot up and kicked Terminal's gun away, she then grabbed Ghoul's arm and used him for balance to hop up and wrap her legs around Chucko's neck. She then twisted and they all rolled to the ground. While on the ground she picked up Ghoul's dropped weapon and then got into a crouch and pointed at Terminal who had recovered from his shock.

"CALL OFF YOUR DOGS BEFORE I PUT ONE BETWEEN YOUR EYES!" she shouted/growled. Terminal looked down at her and smiled in delight

"Nimble old minx aren't…hmph….imagine what your were like when you were my age" he said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"CALL THEM OFF!"

"No" he said "Nice try but if you look you'll see that the twins have their weapons out…and both are pointed at your husband, now unless you want him to have another hole to breathe out of I suggest you put the gun down"

"Well if you shoot him then you're plan goes out the window"

"At least until they select a new mayor" replied Terminal "Now drop it….."

"If I shoot him, none of you will get paid" said Barbara trying to reason with the rest of the Jokerz

"You think we're in this for money" replied the twins at the same time "We just wanna have fun" they said while walking forward and each leaning on one of Terminal's shoulders.

"Argh…..that bitch broke my nose" growled Ghoul standing up holding his nose.

Barbara looked and saw that Chucko and Ghoul were recovering and that Bonk has his weapon pointed at her, she had no choice but to put her gun down.

'_Dammit'_ she thought to herself angrily, suddenly she felt Ghoul grab her by the jacket and spin her around to face him. She saw that his nose slightly curved and it was bleeding profusely.

"FUCKING BITCH!" he shouted punching her hard across the jaw, he straightened her up and punched her again.

Sam seeing his wife being punched tried to lunge at the turned assailant but he was tackled to the ground by Woof.

"STOP IT!" he shouted seeing Ghoul punch her again and again, "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! WHATEVER IT IS I'LL DO IT, WHAT DO YOU WANT!" he shouted.

Terminal glanced at him and then back at Ghoul

"Stop" he said, and Ghoul stopped and then turned to him, he was breathing heavily out of his mouth and he was still angry, but he reluctantly moved away from the bleeding Barbara and stood off to the side trying to touch his broken nose.

"Excellent" said Terminal boring into the eyes of the angry Sam Young.

* * *

**Mayor's Office**

The Batmobile gave a rapid succession of beeps

"He's not here" said Batman

'Get to their house….I'm sending you the coordinates now' said Bruce

The batmobile gave another beep and the screen light up and the Batmobile sped off heading for Barbara's house.

* * *

**Penthouse**

RING! RING! went the telephone in the penthouse. Yinn opened his eyes from his meditation and curiously looked at the telephone, mostly because no one knew that they were there so why would the phone be ringing. Yinn stood up and limped towards the phone and he picked it up.

"Yes" he said

"Put Damian on the phone" came the gruff voice of one Bruce Wayne

"Might I ask who is this?"

"His father"

Yinn took the phone away from his ear and he set it down the table and he went towards Damian's room.

* * *

"Master Wayne you have a call"

"From who" he said

"…..Your Father"

Damian's eyes narrowed, but ultimately he rose from his bed and he walked out of his room and towards the phone.

* * *

"What is it Bruce" asked Damian holding the phone

"Barbara is in trouble…the Jokerz attack today was a diversion…..they were really after the mayor. The mayor struck a deal and the Jokerz wanted to renegotiate said deal but he refused so they killed him….." started Bruce

"Let me guess now they're gonna try to strike a deal with the new Mayor…Barbara's husband…..shit. Wait…Barbara can take care of herself"

"Are you willing to take that chance?"

"…Why don't you send Batman" said Damian icily.

"….He's on the way to her house he might not get there in time, you're closer" said Bruce.

"Wait how do you know where…..you know what nevermind"

Damian let out a sigh of frustration

"Fine…but I'm only doing this for Barbara"

"That's fine with me" said Bruce before the line went dead. Damian slammed the phone on the hook.

"FUCK!" he shouted, while running towards him room again. He squatted down and reached under the bed and pulled out a case. He opened the case and his eyes fell on the mechanical boots that were inside. He quickly grabbed them and put them on his feet. He then ran to his closet and got his utility belt and then his gray cloak.

After donning his costume he went back to the living room and towards the window.

"Don't wait Yinn" he said before jumping out.

Yinn limped as fast as he could to the window and he saw The Gray Ghost spread his cloak and rockets flare to life from his feet. The Gray Ghost soared through the night sky and towards his destination.

* * *

**Young Residence**

Sam was sitting in a chair that was facing Terminal was also sitting in a chair with a gun his hands. Leaning on his shoulders were Deidre and Delilah. On the ground a few feet away was Barbara who was staring down the barrel of two weapons, one from Chucko and one from Ghoul who was still giving her a death glare.

"Move Bitch…..come on I want you to move one muscle so I can blow a fucking hole in your head" he whispered angrily. Woof was standing next to Bonk who was looking out of the window but still had his weapon drawn aimed at Sam.

Terminal took a deep breathe a grin formed along his mouth.

"I'm please you decided to hear my offer Mayor Young"

"Say what you came to say and leave" Sam said forcefully

"But of course….If you didn't know which I'm confident that you didn't your predecessor Mayor Patrick Moor and I had a deal….."

"Deal" repeated Sam

"Yes….in exchange for keeping a low profile giving the impression that the streets are clean we get our own section of Neo-Gotham to roam free in"

"Eastside of Gotham" Barbara said through clenched teeth, knowing that portion of town has for some reason been usually flooded with JOkerz.

"Correct…..we've been running the eastside for many years now, but….I….excuse me….we want more. We want not just the eastside but the south side and a small portion of the north side"

"The Financial district"

"The lower part of the financial district…..completely separate from the major areas where all of Gotham's rich yuppies like to mingle" said Terminal

"When you say run…..the eastside, northside, and the southside….what to you mean Terminal"

"Exactly what it sounds like…..I own it….meaning from you every month I get certain monetary kick backs for keeping the Jokerz in line…..and let's say if any of the Jokerz do get out of line and decide to I don't know rob a bank, or injury a few people they get off scott free…or the police arrive at the scene just a little too late. With the last mayor it was a little bit tougher, but seeing as how you're married to the Commissioner, this deal seems extremely more reasonable" said Terminal

"So basically what you're saying is that you want me to allow you free reign plus monthly fee"

"Yes"

"That doesn't sound like a deal Terminal"

"Yes it does…do you know why. Just look at what happened in a days time…..look how much chaos we caused….now imagine if this was happening everyday, people dying, people scared, people hurt, because if that's what you want I can arrange that…..but with this deal….only the occasional upstanding citizens gets their head beat in, instead of the whole city being in an agony"

"DON"T DO IT SAM!" shouted Barbara, which earned her a kick in the stomach from Ghoul.

Sam tried to get up but Terminal raised his gun and cocked it, "Sit down"

Sam looked at the gun and then at his wife and he reluctantly sat down.

"What say you Mayor Young"

* * *

**Outside Young Residence **

The Gray Ghost sat posted outside of Barbara's house and he had his goggles on his eyes, and the lenses were purple. The purple lenses allowed The Gray Ghost to look through the walls and to see what was going on inside of the house.

"Damn Barbara…..you must be getting old to let these guys get the drop on you" he said to himself trying to think of a way to infiltrate and take out the Jokerz. The Gray Ghost suddenly looked up when he heard a familiar sound. He looked up and saw the batmobile pass over the house and he saw a figure drop out of the Batmobile and glide down to the house.

"Uh Oh" he whispered to himself, as he pulled out several throwing stars.

* * *

Batman landed on the ground and he turned the circular disc on his belt going into camouflage mode. He crept up to the window and peeked inside. He saw Bonk at the window, Terminal with his weapon raised at Sam Young and he saw Barbara on the ground.

'What do you see' asked Bruce

"Trouble on all fronts" he replied "If I try to enter they'll kill them"

'Infiltration like this is all about stunning your opponents before they can react'

"Got it" he replied flicking his wrist and producing several red and black batrangs.

* * *

**Inside of the house**

"What say you Mayor Young…..are you in or are you out" asked Terminal

Sam looked at Terminal and then at Barbara, he took a deep breathe and was about to give his answer when Woof suddenly perked up and started to growl.

"What is it Woof?" asked Bonk just before the window was burst open. Bonk didn't see anything but he did feel a knee driving into his jaw hard. Next three red and black batrangs flew into view. One hit Terminal's gun knocking it away, the two knocked Chucko and Ghoul's weapons away. Barbara seeing the guns being knocked away immediately reacted, she brought up her knee and kneed Ghoul in the groin and then delivered a palm strike to his jaw knocking out two teeth and making him fall back. Chucko tried to stomp on her but she crossed her arms in front of her chest blocking the attack. She then kicked his other knee and made him fall down to the ground. She quickly got to her feet and punched the rising Chucko in the nose. She turned her head and saw Batman fighting the Twins.

* * *

Deidre and Delilah both cartwheeled over to Batman who had kicked Woof in the nose sending him out of the window he burst through. They both sprung off of their hands and tried to kick him, but he blocked their attacks and punched Deidre in the mouth. Delilah crouched down and swept Batman's feet making him fall. She flipped and landed on his chest straddling him. She pulled a knife from her pocket and tired to stab him in the head. He grabbed her hands stopping the knife. Batman then bucked his hips and tossed her off him, but Deidre had recovered and jumped into the fray and stabbed him in the shoulder.

"ARGH!" he shouted feeling the knife puncture through the suit and into his flesh. He reared his head back and head butted her and then brought his elbow back and knocked her away.

"BATMAN BEHIND YOU!" shouted a voice. He turned and he saw Terminal with his gun aimed at him and he fired. Two shots rung out and hit their mark.

"GAHHH!" Batman grunted as the two bullets hit him square in the chest knocking him down.

'McGinnis!'

"I've been shot" he said through gritted teeth

'Where'

"Chest"

'You'll be fine…reinforced Kevlar woven into the chest…..hurts like hell but you'll be alive'

* * *

After shooting Batman Terminal turned his gun on Barbara who had risen to her feet, but before he could pull the trigger two throwing stars flew in and one knocked his gun away and then the other stuck into his hand.

"RAHH!" he shouted out seeing the metal star in his hand. He turned to the window to see The Gray Ghost enter the house.

"YOU!" he growled out.

"TERMINAL!" shouted a voice. Terminal glanced in front of him to see Sam Young charging forward. Sam tackled Terminal to the ground and proceeded to rain blow down upon him.

"YOU COME INTO MY HOUSE!"

**CRACK!**

"AND YOU THREATEN ME AND MY WIFE!"

**CRACK!**

"YOU ARROGANT…..CRAZY! PIECE! OF! SHIT!" He yelled as he threw punch after punch.

"SAM!" shouted Barbara running over to him and grabbing him "He's down"

Sam raised his bloody fist and he looked at Barbara and then down at the bloodied Terminal, and he began to relax.

"UGH!" groaned Batman as he sat up still holding his chest.

"Are you alright kid" asked The Gray Ghost turning to Batman

"NO" he replied getting to his feet. He looked around at the downed Jokerz and at Barbara and the Mayor and then he turned to Gray Ghost, "Still think I shouldn't be Batman"

* * *

**Few Minutes Later **

The NGCPD had arrived at The Mayor and Barbara's house and they were taking the Jokerz into custody. They were loading them into the back of Police transport truck.

"Where is the Wolf looking Joker" asked Sam as he stood at the front of his door watching them being loaded into the truck

"I don't know he probably ran off but we'll get him" said Barbara watching as her subordinates handcuffed Terminal and then lifted him up and marched him out of the house. There eyes locked for a moment before a grin crossed his lips and from his grin a giant smile formed on his face and from his smile a laugh began to emerge . Barbara balled up her fist in anger and grabbed him by the front of his collar and shoved him against the door.

"EASY COMMISSONER!" several of her subordinates shouted out trying to calm her down and let him go.

"WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY!" she growled out

"Well it's just…you think this is over…..no this is just starting, you refused my deal so what comes next is on your head, the mayor's head, that Gray cloaked bastard's head and BATMAN!" he shouted out knowing that Batman was still in the area, "HEY BATMAN! NICE SAVE TODAY WITH THE COMMISSIONER AND MAYOR BUT LET'S SEE HOW FAST YOU ARE" said Terminal

Suddenly Batman landed on the ground a few steps away from Barbara and Terminal, the cops started to pull their weapons.

"STAND DOWN!" Barbara shouted.

"What are you talking about Dreg" growled Batman

"Always anticipate the unexpected…..a little lesson I learned a long time ago. Which is why there is one last bomb planted" said Terminal with a sick grin.

"WHERE!" shouted Barbara and Batman at the same time.

"Durlan's Toy factory…..there are about 20 hostages all strapped to a bomb that's powerful enough to take out a half block…..it would've been disabled by now but as you can see I'm a bit tied up at the moment so those people's only hope is for you to get there in time…..but the question you should be asking yourself is exactly how much time do you have…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA" laughed Terminal

Batman growled to himself, while curling his toes and spreading his wings, he rocketed off the ground and flew in the air towards the Batmobile. He got into the batmobile only to see he had an extra passenger.

"GET MOVING KID!" shouted the Gray Ghost. Batman pushed on the levers and the Batmobile zoomed across the night sky.

* * *

**Durlan's Toy Factory**

The Batmobile flew over Durlan's toy factory. Batman pulled the levers on the ceiling and he and The Gray Ghost both dropped out and towards the glass skylight. They crashed through the skylight and into the dark factory.

* * *

**Inside the Toy Factory**

They landed on the ground and looked around it was dark so they couldn't see anything, but the darkness didn't last long, because the light's switched on.

"Dear God" whispered Batman.

On the ground lying in pools of blood were about 20 people of varying ages and various genders.

"THAT SON OF A BITCH LIED!" shouted Batman in anger

"QUIET BE ON GUARD!" replied the Gray Ghost

"THEY ARE HERE!" yelled out a distorted voice. Batman and the Gray Ghost turned to see dozens of muscle bound Jokerz charging at them, "GET THEM!"

**STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!** went the Jokerz as they charge at their foes.

"MOVE!" shouted the Gray Ghost as one of the muscle bound Jokerz threw a punch. He ducked under the strike and he rolled to the side, while reaching into his utility belt and pulling out three throwing stars. He threw one each at three approaching Jokerz feet. They gave a beep and blew up making them trip and fall flat on their faces.

Batman dodged several strikes from several muscle bound Jokerz; he curled his feet and took to the sky. He flew around and then reached into one of his pockets and pulled out two batarangs and threw them into a cluster of Jokerz. The batarangs hit the ground and gave off an electrical shock, shocking the muscle bound behemoths.

"LISTEN TO ME THOSE PATCHES YOU HAVE ON ARE DEADLY THEY WILL KILL YOU! AND THIS PLACE IS WIRED TO BLOW YOU HAVE TO GET OUT!" shouted Batman, before he was tackled to the ground by one of the Jokerz. He landed hard with a thud and the Joker pinning him to the ground, with one hand. The muscle bound Joker raised his other hand getting ready to punch Batman, when Batman flicked his wrist and stabbed him in the hand and brought both his feet up and then with all of his might he kicked the massive Joker off of him. He quickly sat up and got to his feet only to receive a hard punch to his back that sent him flying across the room and to the ground in a heap.

"Ugh" he groaned pushing himself up. He looked up just in time to see The Gray Ghost spring off the face of one of the jokers and flip to his position. The Gray Ghost landed next to him and quickly pulled him to his feet.

"We have to get out of here there are too many of them" he said

"Yeah No kidding" Batman groaned out. The Gray Ghost grabbed Batman by the shoulder and aimed his grappling hook at the skylight. The grappling hook fired and hooked onto the edge. They were yanked up right before the massive Jokerz could reach them.

* * *

**Roof**

Batman and the Gray Ghost pulled themselves through the skylight and onto the roof, and just as they reached the roof, they both felt a strange feeling. It started as a weightless feeling and then it turned into a painful one. Just as they reached the roof the whole toy factory went up in a violent explosion.

**BABOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

The force of the explosion tossed the Gray Ghost and Batman off the roof along with chunks of the roof, and the metal of the toy factory. They both hit the ground and the same time and bounced along the rough pavement until they came to a stop. Batman's costume was damaged in some areas and the wires in the suit were noticeable. He painfully rose up slightly and looked at the burning remains of the toy factory. His eyes widen as he saw one of the Jokerz stumbling out but they were on fire. They didn't go very far before falling down on the ground dead.

"Jesus" whispered Batman.

"Argh!" came a painful grunt. Batman turned to the left and he saw The Gray Ghost toss his burning cloak to the ground where it continued to burn. Damian Wayne, had cuts and burns all over his body. He was also bleeding from the cuts as well. He was obviously in pain but he hid in well because he calmly walked over to Batman and helped him to his feet.

"UUGHH!" grunted Batman, "T-Thanks….."

"Are you alright" he asked

"No" Batman replied, "This…..This has been a Night from….Hell" he said while leaning against Damian.

"I've had worse" he replied holding up a handheld device.

Suddenly the Batmobile flew down towards their position and it opened up. Damian helped Batman walk towards the Batmobile where he put him inside.

"Remember what happened tonight Kid…..because this is your life from now on….either you can get out now…..or die" said Damian as the Batmobile closed; it rose in the air and flew away in the direction of Wayne Manor. Damian watched it fly away. He turned his attention back to the burning building and he stared into the fire.

**WHOOOO WHOOOOOOO! **He turned his head to the sound of police sirens and fire trucks. Damian quickly grabbed the remains of his burnt gray cloak and he disappeared into the night without a trace.

* * *

**Police Transport Truck**

The transport Truck was making its way to the police station when suddenly there was a thud on the top of the truck. The policemen in the in the front seat of the truck looked at each other.

**THUD!** They both then turned their gaze to the front of the truck when their eyes widen at the site of a growling Woof. Woof lunged through the window and into the front seat with his teeth bared. The Truck began to swerve and veer off the road until it came to a crash into a light pole.

Woof shook the glass off of himself and then jumped through the window. He was covered in blood from the two dead policemen, but he didn't even register the blood. Woof quickly went to the back of the truck, where he latched his jaws onto the lock and he pulled with all of his might. He ripped the lock off of the door, and it began to open. Woof then used his head open the door a little bit further. The rest of the door was kicked open by Terminal who dropped his hand cuffs on the ground. He looked at the bloody Woof and a grin crept along his face.

"Good Boy" he said patting him on the head. Terminal jumped off of the truck and he was followed by Bonk who dropped a dead guard on the ground, then the Dee Twins, then Chucko who dropped another dead guard on the ground, and finally Ghoul.

"Let's go" said Terminal starting forward.

"To where…..our hideout is gone" said Ghoul stilling holding his broken nose.

"To the fun house…we have to prepare, since the mayor didn't want my deal…..we're going to destroy this city and from the ashes we'll build our own" said Terminal as he continued to walk forward and into the night.

* * *

**End Chapter. ****: Read and Review. Hey all its me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. I know I know this chapter took a long time to come out but like I said on my update in Amazing Spider-Man I really wanted to get the ball rolling on Secret Warrior Spider-man. It was an idea that just wouldn't leave me alone to until I got it out there. So I hope all you readers are reading that story as well as this one. As you see things are starting to spiral out of control and everyday is another test for Terry being Batman. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and the direction this story is heading, because one of the most crucial chapters of this story is coming up real soon so I hope you readers stick around. If you have any questions about this story just send me a PM or leave your question in the review and I will get back to you ASAP…this is me saying….until next time….**

**Ps: If you haven't read or reviewed TSA: Amazing Spider-man vol 2 or Secret Warrior: Spider-man I would really appreciate it if you did, so this is me saying…Later. **

**Next Up: Power Play**


	14. Power Play

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS. I repeat I DO NOT own characters, in fact all credit goes directly to DC, they are the owners not me. I can assure each and everyone of you that I'm not making any money off of this story NO money is being exchanged or handed to me so please find it in your heart not to sue me….again I ask please do not sue me…..thanks. **

**Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back with another chapter in the Batman universe I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. All that's left to say is READ, REVIEW (A Writer's Fuel is reviews) and most importantly ENJOY.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Power Play**

**Two Days Later: TV**

"_Good Morning Neo-Gotham, I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always Kim Warren. Today's top story is that we are now heading into the second day of repairs from the violent and vicious attack by the Jokerz on this great city just two days ago. Firefighters and Police are still sorting through rubble and finding bodies. _

_Kim: The repair efforts are once again being funded by none other than Derek Powers and the Wayne-Powers company. We tried to get an interview with Derek Powers but he was not available, however we were greeted with a surprise interview from none other than Bruce Wayne. _

* * *

_Bruce: This attack by the Jokerz is obviously an attempt to inspire fear into the heart of the Citizens of Gotham, but little do they know that we are resilient and we shall not cower in the corners of our homes in fear of them. We shall not be swayed by their feeble attempts to knock us down and more importantly we shall not be afraid._

* * *

_Tom: Inspiring words_

_Kim: They are Tom and Mr. Wayne has a point. He touches on a very interesting point the levels of fear has skyrocketed throughout the city people are afraid to step outside their homes. If fear is what the Jokerz were aiming for then they succeeded_

_Tom: Only if we let them Kim….._

* * *

**McGinnis Household: 7:30am**

Terry McGinnis was sitting in the kitchen watching the news report. He was sporting some bruises from his battle with the Jokerz two days ago. He had his shirt off and around his chest were white bandages to secure his bruised ribs, on his arm was a thick white patch that covered a burn on his arm and around his head was a white bandage as well. Terry also had a few cuts along his arms and face but they weren't too bad and were already beginning to heal. The Batsuit was still under repairs or at least that what Bruce had told him a few hours ago, so while the batsuit was being repair Terry had a some time off to recover from his injuries, but if he were to be honest he didn't want any type of rest. Terry was angry, every time he thought about what happened two days ago he got even angrier. The Jokerz had gotten the best of him; he was one step behind them at every turn and people ended up dying because of that simple fact. Terry leaned back in his seat and he put the TV on mute.

'_I swear once the Bat suit is finished being repair I'm gonna hunt those freaks down and kick their ass all the way from her and to metropolis and I can't wait to get my hands on that asshole Terminal' _thought Terry as he took a bite from his bowl of cereal.

"Morning" came a voice.

"Morning dweeb" said Terry addressing his little brother Matt McGinnis

"HEY! I'm not a dweeb" Matt replied getting a bowl and pouring himself some cereal

"Yeah you are" said Terry smirking, enjoying teasing his little brother.

"Morning my boys" came the voice of Marry McGinnis the mother of the two McGinnis boys. She went to Matt first and kissed him on the head and then she went to Terry and kissed him on the head which earned her a groan.

"Easy Ma…my heads still a little sore" he said. When Terry first walked through the door with his injuries his mother and demanded to know what happened. He told her that he was downtown during one of the explosions and he got caught in one of the blast trying to save a woman and his mother had bought his half-truth.

"I'm sorry dear, but that's your own fault….that impulsive nature of yours" she said while going to the refrigerator.

"What can I say I like being the hero" he replied eating his cereal

"More like being the idiot" chimed Matt. Terry leaned over and flicked his brother in the head for his comment.

"OW! MOM!"

"Boys behave. Terry sweetheart I would really like it if you did tone down the impulse urges you tend to have. I mean I'm glad you were helping people when they needed you the most…..but…you could have been seriously injured instead of just banged up what if….."

"Stop right there Mom. I understand what you're saying. I really do, but I couldn't turn my back, but I promise I'll be more careful….okay" he said trying to ease his mother's worry.

"Thank you…..that's all that I ask" she replied with a smile as she kissed him on the head again.

"By the way Terry….Max called"

"She did…what did she want"

"I don't know all she said was that this was a level 3 type of call…whatever that means" said his Mother.

"Level 3…wow alright thanks I'm gonna go call her" he replied getting up from his seat and heading to his room.

* * *

**Terry's Room**

Terry fell onto his bed and let out a groan and then a sigh. He felt around on the floor until his hands landed on his cell phone. He picked it up and pressed a single button.

**RING! RING! RING! RING! **

"Hello" came a cheerful voice on the other end

"Kinda cheerful for this early in the morning Max"

"It's 10 McGinnis"

"Exactly my point"

"Whatever McGinnis"

"So Level 3 talk"

"Yes…It's a level 3, I already told Dana and she's gonna meet me at the place where we went when we got suspended that time….can you meet us there"

"Well you know Max I'm kinda tired and…."

"Great I'll see you there in 20 minutes…bye McGinnis" she said before hanging up the phone. Terry took the phone away from his ear and he looked at it and a smirk formed on his lips. He closed his phone and he sat up and began to search for some clothes to put on.

* * *

**Mister Greg's Antique Shoppe**

A young man in his late 20s walked into the antique shop. He passed by all of the antique items until he found himself standing in front of the checkout desk that was located in the back of the shop. He touched the bell that was on the counter and he waited. From the back a woman walked out around the same age as him.

"How can I help you"

"You can help me by showing me where the King Snake lives" he said.

The woman nodded her head and made a motion. He walked around the counter and followed her into the back, where the came towards a metal door. The woman punched in a code that was on the side of the door and it beep and then swished open. The two entered through the door and it swished closed behind them.

* * *

The pair found themselves on an upper deck that was looking down into a lab. The two looked on as Kobra scientist stood in front of a tank with a strange looking person floating inside.

"I-Is…is that Lord Zander" asked the man turning to the woman

"Yes" she replied

* * *

**Down Below**

"How is he" asked the lead Kobra in charge of the facility while looking at the floating Zander inside of the blue liquid.

"He's….fully healed the traces of the nerve gas is fully out of his system" replied one of the lead scientist.

"Wake him up and let him out" said the Kobra leader.

"…." The scientist didn't reply he simply sat in his chair unmoving. The Kobra leader turned to the scientist and glared at him.

"Did I Stutter?"

"No….its just that…..his appearance….I do not imagine he will be particularly pleased"

"Let. Him. Out"

"Y-Yes sir…..right away" he replied typing into the computer. The lead scientist nodded to his assistance and they began to disconnect the wires from the tank and they let out a huge hiss of air. Bubbles began to form in the tank and Zander began to twitch and move. The liquid began to drain out of the tank. After a few tense seconds blood red eyes snapped open and everyone recoiled slightly.

"Dear…..God" one of the scientist whispered looking at him. Zander no longer resembled a human; he looked like a humanoid snake. No longer did he have a nose but large slits in the place where his nose would be, he had glowing pupiless red eyes, no hair and large protruding snake fangs coming out of his mouth. His skin was a dingy green looking color and he had thing scaly armor that covered his body. A scaly clawed hand touched the glass tank and it showed long sharp talons at the end of his fingers.

The Tank hissed open as the glass lifted, Zander fell forward and to the ground, breathing slowly and deeply. One of the scientists took a step towards him and bent down and touched him on his scaly green shoulder. Zander felt the hand and his pupiless red eyes narrowed and his slits for nostrils flared.

'_Hungry'_ he thought to himself. Suddenly from the base of his spine a tale extended. The tail was thick and long and at the end of it was a rattle.

**TCHSSSS TCHSSS TCHSSSSSS** went the sound of the rattle as it started to shake. The scientist backed away but the tail wrapped around the man's throat.

"HUNGRY!" Zander hissed/shouted out. He opened his mouth wide and sunk his teeth into the scientist neck and ripped half his neck out and chewed upon the flesh.

"HUNGRY!" he shouted again eyeing all of the other people in the lab. They frantically began to escape trying to get away from the crazed Zander. Zander turned his attention to a group of scientists trying to escape through a secret passage. He dropped the dead man in his clawed hands and with a might leap he jumped in the air.

**TCHSSSSS TCHSSSS TCHSSSSS** rattled his tail as he descended upon the scientist.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

**BAM! **Went the sound of a door being kicked open. From out of the door stomped the mutated Zander. He was covered in blood, and he was growling slightly. He looked around and he saw that he was in an alley and it was about noon. He had a brown cloak in his hands that he had found in one of the lockers inside of the Kobra lab. Zander wrapped it around his mutated form.

'_Powers'_ he thought to himself as he walked a few steps forward. He looked down at saw a man hole. He crouched down and with ease he pried open the man hole, he hopped down the hole and slinked into the shadows.

* * *

Dana was walking down the street on her way to meet Max, because she had called her wanting to talk to her about something extremely important. So Dana had quickly gotten dress and was out the door within the minutes. As she was walking down the street she didn't notice that someone was watching her closely and following her across the street. The person was none other than Carter Wilson aka Terminal. He was dressed in his civilian clothes and he had a bandage on his face from a cut he received at Barbara and Sam's house, but the wound on his face was the last thing on his mind. The one thought that consumed him at the moment was Dana. Carter was a strange breed of person, usually the opposite sex was never a dominant thought on his mind, the only thing he thought about was death, destruction and chaos, but that all changed when he laid eyes on Dana Tan. He couldn't explain raw and unyielding yearn he felt burn within for her. When he first laid eyes on her his first thought was to do to her what he did to every other female and jus overpower her, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it…..not to her. Carter felt that she was different from all the other females, correction he knew she was different because he actually learned and remember her name. So, he stalked her, he followed her every move and learned everything he could about her, before he even made his first attempt to talk to her. Carter quickly crossed the street and walked a few paces behind her. He followed her, his eyes trained on her, not leaving her for one second.

'_I want her'_ he thought to himself as he watched Dana turn a corner. Carter speed up his walking a bit but as he turned the corner he stopped in his tracks. He slowly backed up and around the corner unseen.

* * *

**Around the Corner**

Around the corner Dana came to a sudden halt. There leaning against the wall of the place she was going was none other than Terry McGinnis. He was leaning against the wall looking the other way, he hadn't noticed her yet. Dana stood rooted in her spot just staring at him. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't still attracted to him, ever since he waltz back into her life just seeing him sent a rush of emotion surging through her body and half the emotions she welcomed like: anger, hatred, resentment, but the others she felt: happiness, desire, and love, she wished would go away but no matter how hard she wished they always returned and she found herself forgetting about the negative emotions that swirled within her and focused on all of the good times they had together. All of the fun, the late night walks and talks and confessions, the nights of doing nothing but just staring at the stars and just enjoying the others company. When she thought of those times she couldn't help but sigh and allow a smile to grace her lips, just like the smile that found its way to her lips at that very moment.

At that moment Terry turned in her direction and he immediately pushed off of the wall and just stared at her, like she was staring at him. A moment passed where they just looked at each other and then Terry made a gesture with his head that told her come over. Dana found herself slowly but surely moving one foot after the other and making her way to Terry.

* * *

Carter peeked around the corner to see Dana walking towards Terry.

* * *

"Hey" said Terry turning to face her fully.

"Hi" she replied looking down for a moment and then back at him.

"You look good…..but then again looking good was never your problem was it" he said with a smile.

"Same old Terry"

"No….not the same…..new and improved"

"How did you get hurt" she asked eying the bandage around his head and the bandage on his arm.

"One of my improvements….I got caught in one of the blast that happened downtown, I was trying to save some of the people that were hurt"

"Oh My God really" she said looking at him in a new light "I thank God my parents and I were not down there when it happened"

"Ya know when I was down there helping people a few thoughts were going through my mind, the first was that I hope my Mom and Matt are okay and the second…I hope Dana is safe" he said to her stepping a little bit closer.

"R-Really"

"Yes" he said softly staring down into her eyes that he could see were softening.

"Wow McGinnis...where do I fall on the list" came Max's voice. Terry turned around to see Max standing behind him.

"Max…..you were third on the list" he said smirking at her.

"I'm third…..and here I thought I introduced the two of you…but you know what it doesn't matter, this isn't about you this is about me….I'm getting Married" she said

"WHAT!" Terry and Dana shouted at the same time

"Are you really getting married" asked Dana

"No I'm not getting married…..hahahahhaha…you should see the look on your faces" she said with a laugh.

"Jesus Max…..don't do that…give a guy a heart attack" said Terry letting out a breath.

"I'm sorry I couldn't resist…no I'm not getting married, but I am in Love though" she said letting out sigh of content.

"Love…..when did this happen" asked Terry with raised eyebrows.

"She met this guy name Brian Milwood….he's pretty cute" said Dana

"You've met someone…..why am I the last to know"

"It was a whirlwind type of thing McGinnis and plus I'm telling you now so what if you're the last to know" said Max

"Nice to know where I fall on your list"

"Anyway….what's so important Max" asked Dana

"Not here let's go inside" she said turning and going into the building, and she was followed by Dana and Terry, but unknown to the three friends was that they were being eavesdropped on by Carter who quickly rounded the corner and followed them into the building.

* * *

**Finn's Arcade. **

Max, Dana, and Terry entered the loud and packed arcade with teens and young adults of all ages where relaxing, playing virtual arcade games and just having a good time. The three maneuvered their way through the crowd until they came to a set of stairs that lead to the upper level.

* * *

**Upper Level**

They went upstairs and walked until they came to a booth that sorta semi out of the way. Max sat down and Dana and Terry sat across from her in the booth.

"Why are we at Finn's" asked Terry

"Because it's loud enough to where no one can hear what I'm about to tell you guys and plus everyone hear to is too preoccupied to care about what I'm about to say"

"What is this about" asked Terry as he saw a look cross Max's face.

"Okay this guy….Brian…..I think we're soul mates but….there's something about him that's…that's kinda dark"

"Well Max we all have a darkside" said Terry

"Yeah….but not like Brian. Look….Dana, Terry. Brain showed a lot of trust telling me this and I've swore to him I would keep this a secret but….I need some help. I really really like him and I need some help on thinking of a way to help him"

"What's the problem Max…..is he a criminal" asked Dana

"Sorta…..he's with the Knightbreed" she whispered to them.

"WHAT!" they shouted.

* * *

Carter's eyes widen in shock as too what he heard.

'_So…Dana's friend…Max was it….has a boyfriend inside of the Knightbeed…interesting….most interesting'_ he thought as a devious plan began to form in his mind as he continued to listen to more of the conversation.

* * *

"Yeah" she replied "My reaction too"

"Max you have to dump this guy" said Terry seriously "If he's with the Knightbreed he's dangerous…the Knightbreed are a bunch of amoral nutjobs"

"No Terry…Brian is not like that you don't know him like I do" Max replied a little forcefully, "He's….He's just a little misguided, he' gone through a tough Period and he did what he thought was right at the time"

"What joining the Knightbreed" he said with raised eyebrows "What could have possibility happened to make him want to do that"

"His father was killed by the Jokerz…..some guy name Terminal" Max responded.

Terry stopped and looked at Max. The Jokerz killed his father. Terry leaned back in his seat and he rubbed his face, he couldn't really say anything behind that because he knew all too well the lengths someone will go to get justice for the death of a loved one. If it wasn't for the death of his own father, then he probably wouldn't be Batman.

Max looked at Terry and then turned her attention to Dana.

"Well what do you have to say" she asked

"Nothing….Max this is your life, you want to get involved with a person that's involved with the Knightbreed….then that's your choice the only thing I can do is offer my support and it already seems like you've made up your mind to keep seeing him" she said

"I have"

"Then what do you need us for" asked Dana

"He's involved with the Knightbreed but…..he wants to get out…but he doesn't know how, that what I need help with" she said.

"Have you tried telling him to just leave" Terry offered

"Wow McGinnis thank you for your input as always it's useful…if it was that easy then I wouldn't be asking you guys now would I" Max snapped.

"It…..it was a joke" he replied

"This isn't the time for Jokes McGinnis"

"Has he tried going to the police" asked Dana

"No and even if he did I'm sure they would know about it" Max replied

As Dana and Max continued to talk about the Brian situation Terry was leaning back in his seat just thinking about what Max had said.

'_Max really likes this guy...she's not gonna like it when I take this guy in…but he can lead me to the rest of the Knightbreed…..I gotta talk to the old man about this'_ he thought to himself. As Terry was thinking to himself about the situation at hand he glanced to the right and something caught his eye. In the reflection of one of arcade machines he saw a familiar face and he was staring intently in their directions, almost as if he was listening

'_Wait….I know that guy, he's the one that's after Dana….his name was….Carter….Carter Wilson….why the hell is he staring at us'_ he thought to himself.

"Hey guys…let's go" he said

"What…Terry you haven't…" started Max

"Max…let's go" he said looking at her. She immediately closed her mouth and nodded. The three friends started get up from their booth, they proceeded to make their way out of the arcade, with Carter not too far behind.

* * *

**Few Blocks Away**

Max, Dana, and Terry were walking through the busy downtown Neo-Gotham sidewalk, but they had been walking in no particular direction for the past 10 minutes. Dana let out a sigh and stopped walking

"Terry what is your problem what are we doing" she asked

"We're being followed" he said simply looking at her.

"….Is it by the knightbreed" she asked a bit fearfully turning to Max who had wide eyes herself.

"No" he replied "Keep walking" he said and they began to start walking but a little more briskly than before.

The three turned a corner and Terry came to a stop.

"McGinnis what are you doing" asked Max

"You guy keep going I'm going to deal with this" he said

"Terry"

"Dana…..I'll be fine okay…..go" he said. Their eyes lingered on each for a second before she nodded. Dana and Max turned and continued to walk away while Terry stood in his spot and waited.

* * *

Carter round the corner and came to a stop once he saw Terry standing in his way. The two enemies stood there looking at the other sizing up the situation to see if it would turn into a violent one. Carter looked past Terry and he didn't see Dana or Max, which meant that he sent them along.

"Carter right" said Terry breaking the silence

"McGinnis" he replied, "I take it you noticed me following"

"Kinda hard not too….and since we can skip the whole not I wasn't yes you were thing, we can jump right into the why"

"The Why is none of your business McGinnis…..out of my way" he said in a low voice while narrowing his eyes. Carter then tried to step pass Terry only for Terry to step with him and in his way.

"If you were following me you would've made a move by now and you haven't…so that means you were following either Dana or Max…..and if you were following either of them then I'm making it my business you ass"

"Do you know who I am McGinnis….what I'm capable of…..do you" he replied stepping closer and making himself seem more intimidating, but Terry wasn't one to be frightened, and continued to stare him down.

"Ask me if I give a shit"

Carter smirked slightly and turned his head, usually people were frightened of him, whether or not he was Terminal or Carter, but it was refreshing and down right annoying running into someone who was not afraid of him. Without warring Carter lashed out with a hard left cross, Terry saw it coming and took a quick step back. Carter was thrown off balance slightly because of the amount of power behind the strike. He recovered a looked up in time to see Terry come in with a powerful right cross and then a left cross that knocked him to the ground. Carter wanted to groan but he didn't he held it in even though his jaw was throbbing. He put two fingers inside of his mouth to feel a cut on the side of his mouth. He pulled his fingers out to see blood and he balled up his fist and looked at Terry with hate in his eyes.

"Hey What's going on here" came the voice of store owner coming out of his shop to face the two.

Neither of them paid the shop owner any attention, Carter stood up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"McGinnis…..this isn't over" he said darkly, he taking a few steps back before turning and walking away. Terry shook his fist, he had put a lot of force into those punches and usually people didn't get back up, but Carter got up like nothing had happened.

'_That guy…..there's something….familiar'_ he thought to himself as he turned and walked away with the intentions of catching up with Dana and Max.

* * *

**NGCPD- Later that Day**

Detective Montoya Bullock let out a huge sigh as she sat down in her seat for the first time in 6 hours. All available officers whether they were a beat cop or a detective, they were supposed to be patrolling on the streets in different shifts creating a sense of security for the people or at least that's what Commissioner Gordon had said. Montoya had just completed her shift and was happy to be back at her desk doing paper work, not because she liked doing the paperwork but she just hated being on patrol and just driving aimlessly. Montoya was a woman of action; she needed to have her mind occupied to keep her mind off of her recently deceased father Harvey Bullock. She knew he was going to die he was in his eighties and his health was falling and he had been in the hospital for the past couple of months, but still he was her father and he was the one that taught her everything about the police force, in fact he was the reason why she joined in the first place. Ever since he died she had been trying not to think about it, which is why she threw herself into her work.

"I need a smoke" Montoya said to herself sitting up in her seat, she reached for her first desk drawer and opened it, she grabbed the pack of smokes and took one and put it in her mouth. She then grabbed the lighter and then lit the cigarette and took a drag. Montoya released another sigh and was about to close her drawer when something caught her eye. It was the flash drive that Commissioner Gordon had gave to her two days ago, she was about to start working on it, but then all of the craziness with the Jokerz started happening so it got put on the back burner. Montoya took another drag of her cigarette and then took the flash drive out of her drawer.

"Well no time like the present" she said to herself putting the flash drive into her computer. She waited a few seconds before her screen started to fill up with documents upon documents of details of different places around the world and buildings and facilities. Details such as height, width, amount of space within each place, types of machines that could be held in said place.

"What the hell is this" she asked herself clicking over the images as she was clicking she remembered what Commissioner Gordon had told her.

* * *

_Commissioner Gordon: I need to you to take a look at this disc and compile a list of areas around Gotham where people might want to gather for unscrupulous purposes_

* * *

"Unscrupulous Places around Gotham….with this list…this is gonna take all night….great" she said as she started to type into her computer.

* * *

**Max, Dana and Terry**

Night had fallen and the three friends where currently sitting on a park bench still discussing Max current problem, but so far the friends haven't made any leeway on the problem, at least Max and Dana haven't, Terry however had already decided he would pay a visit to Brian as Batman and ask him politely where were the Knightbreed hiding.

'I wonder what the old man is going to say about this' he thought to himself.

"TERRY!" shouted Max

"W-What…I'm listening" he replied

"No you weren't you were your own little world, just like you've been all day" she replied angrily

"Well I'm sorry Max…I have know idea what you want me say, this is a helluva load to drop on me and on Dana"

"McGinnis…" started Dana before being interrupted.

"Well here I thought you two were my best friends who I can count on for support"

"I'm not saying we're not supporting you, but I hope you didn't expect us to have an idea for you on the spot"

"Well…I kinda did….because I got nothing" she said

"Max…." he started.

"No….No you're right…..I realize this is a big load, but…." She started before letting out a sigh and standing up. She rubbed her neck and glanced up at the sky, "Look…its late…I'll see you guys later alright….thanks…for listening. Also I guess I don't need to tell you guys what I just told you never leaves between us….right"

"It's in the vault" Dana and Terry responded at the same time. They glanced at each other and then back at Max.

"Right….see ya" she said turning and walking away leaving Dana and Terry by themselves.

"Well that went well" came Dana's voice breaking the small silence

"Yeah" he replied rubbing his neck.

Another silence passed between the two as they stood there.

"So"

"So"

"Its kinda late and I'm kinda tired…so I'll see you around McGinnis" she said turning, but before she fully turned Terry reached out and softly grabbed her arm.

"Dana….wait….before you go, listen earlier we were being followed and we were being followed by that creep you went out on a date with Carter"

"Carter" she replied in a shock voice "Why would he"

"I don't know….I don't know how the mind of a creep works"

"I don't think he's a creep…he's just…misunderstood"

"Nah….he's a creep. Anyway I believe he was following you and he might still try to follow you…..so I was thinking….maybe I should walk you home" he said

"I'm a big girl McGinnis I can take care of myself"

"Come on Dana…..all I'm doing is walking you home….no strings attached just two friends…..walking"

"I-I don't know Terry I…" she started before looking into his eyes, she saw the pleading looking in his eyes, her expression and resolve to be angry at him started to melt away. She had to admit that she didn't like the idea of being followed, and Terry always made her feel safe, "Okay….fine….you can walk me home…but that's it"

"Schway" he replied.

**RING! RING! RING! RING!** Went Terry's phone. He dug in his pockets and pulled out the phone and he looked at the number, _'No No No No No not now old man'_ he thought to himself.

"Hold on Dana I have to take this" he said taking a few steps away from her and then answering his phone.

"Hey old man this is not a good time, I'm attempting to have a social….." he started

"Spare me details McGinnis. I'm just calling to tell you the repairs to the Bat-suit will be ready by tomorrow so you have tonight off…..if you want my advice you shouldn't waste it on a social outing you should either be resting or contemplating the Jokerz next move" said Bruce over the line.

"Yeah Yeah Yeah….was that all you called to tell me"

"Yes"

"Well then I'll take to you later….also something important came up that I want to run by you, but I'll tell you tomorrow…McGinnis out" he said hanging up his phone. He put it back in his pocket and he turned to Dana and he smiled.

"Let's go" he said walking towards her.

* * *

**Penthouse: Damian's Room**

Damian Wayne sat on his bed with his Gray Ghost outfit on but his hood was pulled back. He was currently on a cell phone talking to someone on the other end.

"Have you done it yet" he asked in a frustrated tone.

"Yes, I did it about an hour ago so he should be receiving the news right about now" came the feminine voice on the other end.

"Perfect"

"I'm glad that you're happy lover boy" said the woman in a playful tone "When are you coming back…I'm getting lonely and your spot on my bed has grown cold"

"I won't be back for a while…I'm still tying up some loose ends up here….why don't you go get one of those men you have waiting in the wings for when I'm not there" he replied as a smile started to creep along his face.

"Since you won't be back for a while I probably will…but you know Damian no other man makes me…..feeeel…the way you do, they don't know how to hit the right spot like you do…..….just like I know no other woman will ever make you feel the way you do when you are with me or be able to push your buttons" she said in a sultry playful voice.

"That's not true" he said just to challenge her, but he knew what she was saying was the undisputed truth; no other woman has ever made him feel the way he does when he's with her.

"Yes it is….no matter how hard we try to stay away from each other we always end up back together…..and we usually have mind blowing sex, I mean that is how we have three kids" she said

"How are they by the way?"

"They are fine…..I recently checked on each of them and they are performing their missions well…..stop being such a baby…they can take care of themselves I mean we did train them….and they have some lessons from Yinn so they'll be fine"

"I know" he replied "Look I have to go….Yinn and I are going to take down Powers"

"Careful Damian…this Powers guy is in league with Kobra….no telling what type of security he has….Oh and one other thing, I did some more digging and it turns out that Powers has some major sway in the government"

"I knew it…I knew that's how he was able to make that bullshit comment in the news about him being an informant….who is his contact" he asked

"Our good ol friend Amanda Waller"

"Aww Shit…that bitch…looks like I'm going to have to pay her a visit too…..do you know where she is"

"Metropolis" the woman responded.

"Even better" he replied sarcastically, "Thanks"

"No problem…and Damian…..I-I…I…you know….I care…..about you a lot and…."

"After all of these years…..all of the shit we've been through, the fighting, the near death, and even having kids together…..you still can't say those three little words can you…."

"Hey…..you haven't said the words either" she defended

"You know how I feel though…."

"And you know how I feel….." he said back,

"Just say the words Damian" the woman said

"No…you say them first" he retorted.

"This is why we never got married" they both said at the same time.

"Bye Damian" said the woman and an audible click was heard.

Damian hung up his phone as well; "Bye…" he started before Yinn walked into his room in full gear.

"Forgive me for the interruption Master Wayne….but are you ready to leave" he asked

"Yes I am Yinn" he said standing up. He tossed his phone on the bed and then put on his goggles and then his hood completing his Gray Ghost persona.

"Let's go" he said walking out of his room with Yinn following close behind.

* * *

**30 minutes Later Wayne Powers**

"WHAT!" shouted an irate Derek Powers, he was currently in his office and he was sitting at his desk. He was peacefully sitting in his office when his secretary alerted him to a call from his private bank, saying that 30 million credits had been deposited from his personal private account. While 30 million credits wasn't too much for Derek to worry about, it was still enough for him to raise an eyebrow. He then called his bank only for the manager to tell him that he had used his credit card to deposit the credits to an eco-environmentalist group who were trying to clean up the pollution off the cost of South America.

"I'm sorry sir but that's what my records are showing" came the manager's voice

"WELL YOUR RECORDS ARE WRONG! I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" shouted Derek as he dug into his suit pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened his wallet to find that one of his credit cards was missing "GODDAMN IT! Someone stole my credit card….you listen and you listen good…..get my money back or I will have your fucking head on a platter….DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

"Y-Yes…s-sir…" stuttered the manager

Derek slammed the phone back on the hook and then slammed his hands down on his desk.

* * *

**Outside of Derek's Office**

Perched on the ledge next to Derek's large window was the Gray Ghost and Yinn; they were both smiling to themselves as they both overheard Derek's conversation with the bank and the anger Derek was feeling.

"Heh. Justice is served" The Gray Ghost said.

"But sir…won't he be able to take his money back"

"No. Not unless he was to publicly state why he's taking back a generous 30 million credit deposit from a non-profit organization….it' PR suicide. He's not that stupid" said the Gray Ghost looking at Yinn. When the Gray Ghost glanced at him, Yinn had a look of horror on his face.

"What is it Yinn" he asked

"Inque" he stated pointing into Derek's office. The Gray Ghost turned back to the office as saw thick black ooze flowing down from a vent.

"Great…two birds one stone" The Gray Ghost said to himself as he placed two fingers to the glass and proceeded to listen in on the conversation.

* * *

**Inside Derek's Office**

Derek looked at the black ooze that was flowing from out of his vent and he raised an eyebrow. The ooze began to pull together and form into the silhouette of a curvaceous woman, the face began to form and then the eyes opened.

"Hello Derek" she said.

"Inque….you have some nerve showing you face here. I hire you for a simply job….a simply job and you botch it" he said balling up his fist.

"I didn't botch it you asshole I was ambush by Batman and that Bastard the Gray Ghost" she snapped.

"Who the hell is the Gray Ghost?"

"A pain in my well proportioned ass….he's some do-gooder who's trying to either take me in or kill me…..I don't know which but I really don't care" she replied "I just came to tell you that the risk factor for Wayne just went up so now I want more money"

"….." Derek didn't reply he just stared at her and for a second Inque thought she saw his eyes flash green for a second.

"Did you hear me Powers….the price has gone up"

* * *

**Streets of Gotham**

CLANG! Went the sound of a man-hole being punched open. From the sewers of Neo-Gotham the newly mutated Zander climbed from out of the man-hole. His tail rattled softly behind him as he looked at the Wayne-Powers building before him.

"Powersssssss" he hissed as he stalked away from the man-hole and across the street.

* * *

**Derek's Office**

"I heard you Inque….but your price request is already high enough for this job, a job in which you failed so perhaps instead of giving you more money for failure perhaps I need a better assassin" he said

"Are you questioning my abilities"

"I Am"

Inque smirk to herself before thrusting her right arm forward, a long tendril of black oozed formed into a giant spike and went spiraling towards Derek's throat but it stopped within inches of impaling him.

"Let's get something straight Powers….Killing Bruce Wayne isn't the problem, the problem is this Gray Ghost bastard…...he's very resourceful, cunning and not to mention he's almost killed me in the past…..I don't charge you for the assassination I charge you for the risk factor…and Bruce Wayne is a huge risk factor. The Gray Ghost knows that I'm after him so he's probably staking out his house right now, that is a huge risk for me, so I'm upping the price either you can give me my money or I can kill you…..your choice"

"So this is a threat"

"Yes it's a threat"

* * *

**Lobby Down below**

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!" shouted one of the guards

**TCHSSSSSS TCHSSSS TCHSSSSSS** rattled the tail

**ROAR!**

* * *

**Derek's Office**

**Beep! BEEP!** went the sound of Derek's intercom system but he paid it no mind his full attention was on the woman before him.

"Inque you do well to remember who you're talking to" he said with narrow eyes

"The same goes for you too Powers" she replied narrowing her eyes as well

Derek looked at her and then at the spike that was at his throat. He felt himself begin to get angry and he could hear the small popping that was coming off of his synthetic skin. He took a deep breath and then a smirk grace his lips

"Fine…how much do you want"

"The price has gone up to 75 million credits" she stated without hesitation.

"…fine…..you'll get your reward once the job is complete….by tomorrow" he said

"Fine…I'll kill him tonight…have the money ready" she replied removing the spike from his throat, "Pleasure doing business with you Derek" she said before turning to liquid and jumping in the air. She oozed through the vents and out of Derek's office with the intentions of going to Kill Bruce Wayne.

Derek's smirk turned into a frown, once she was gone his attention turned to the beeping. He reached over and pressed the button for the intercom.

"WHAT!"

* * *

**Outside**

"SHIT! Yinn we have to get to my father now before that Bitch kills him" said the Gray Ghost

**BAM!** Went the sound doors being broken open. The Gray Ghost and Yinn turned to see a figure in a tattered cloak with what looked like a rattlesnake's rattled tail extended from his back.

"What the hell"

* * *

**Derek's Office**

**BAM! **

Derek looked on in shock as the figure stormed into his office.

"POWERSSSSSSSSSSS!" the figure shouted in anger

"Who the hell are you" he asked standing up from his seat.

"Don't you recognize me….." he said removing the hood "It's me ZANDER!"

* * *

**Outside **

"ZANDER!" the Gray Ghost shouted, "What the hell happened to him"

"I do not know sir…but what do we do" asked Yinn

"I'll handle Zander and Powers; you get to my Father and protect him from Inque"

"Right away sir"

"Also Yinn call Barbara, she'll be able to help and call that damn kid too he might useful as well…..and Yinn hurry"

"It will be done….and I will protect your father with my life Master Wayne" said Yinn before he leapt off of the ledge and fell through night sky.

The Gray Ghost turned to the window. He reached into his utility belt and pulled out a clay type of substance. He slammed the clay on the window and he shielded himself as best as he could.

* * *

**Derek's Office**

"YOU ARE RESSSSSSPONSIBLE FOR THISSSSSS! THE NERVE GASSSSSS CHANGED ME INTO THISSSSS MONSSSSTER!"

"That was not my fault, Batman showed up"

"BECAUSSSE OF YOU'RE INCOMPATENCE! TIME TO DIE!" shouted Zander in anger getting ready to lunge.

**BABOOOOOOOOM!** Went the explosion, blowing shards of glass everywhere. Derek's was thrown forward from the force of the blast. Zander stood his ground and shield his eyes. Once the glass stopped spraying he turned his glowing yellow eyes to the now open window.

The Gray Ghost stepped through the opened window and locked eyes with Zander.

"GHOSSSSST" he stated.

"Zander….what have you don to yourself"

"It doesssn't matter…..the only thing that matterssssss issss your DEATH!" he shouted jumping at his opponent.

The Gray Ghost jumped up and over Zander and landed behind him. HE threw out a kick that nailed Zander in the back but too his surprise Zander didn't' even register the kick. His tail whipped around and tried to hit, but he ducked under the strike. Zander quickly turned and swiped at him with sharp claws, but the Gray Ghost back flipped out of the way as he landed he reached into his utility belt and pulled out four throwing stars and threw each of them with perfect accuracy. Zander saw the stars coming and flattened his body to the ground dodging them. Zander quickly crawled across the ground towards the shocked Gray Ghost. Gray Ghost jumped trying to avoid him but Zander jumped in the air after him and then tackled him roughly to the ground.

Derek slowly pushed himself up off of the ground, as he did that he saw that under him was a patch of his synthetic skin. He felt around and felt that his neck was exposed and some of his skin was gone from his hand. He tried to hide his condition but it was pointless, he looked up to see Zander swiping at the man with the Gray cloak but he missed. Derek felt his anger begin to rise and as it rose he started to hear more and more popping which was his synthetic skin burning away.

"AHHH!" shouted the Gray Ghost as he was struck by Zander's tail, which drew blood from his nose and mouth. He backflipped trying to give himself some room but Zander was much tougher than before, he was relentless, his moves were twice as face and twice as viscous. The Gray Ghost ducked under a strike and responded with an uppercut but Zander barely registered the attack and grabbed his arm and flung him across the room where he was slammed into the wall. The Gray Ghost quickly got to his feet despite protest from his body.

'_I might be getting too old for this shit'_ he thought to himself pulling out two throwing stars and holding his hands.

Zander hissed and crouched low ready to strike, but before either could make a move they both had to turn to the brilliant green glow that was coming from the right. They turned and saw a neon Green Derek powers staring or at least they thought he was staring because he didn't have any eyes all they could make out was the eye sockets of his skeleton.

"Powersssss"

"As you can see Zander…...you weren't the only one affected by the nerve gas" he said in a low voice.

* * *

The Gray Ghost reached up and tapped the left side of his goggles two times and the lens switched to purple.

'_Shit…..his radiation levels are off the chart and it's spreading throughout the room'_ he thought to himself as he reached into one of his pockets on his utility belt and he pulled out a small injector type of weapon and two vials of yellow-greenish liquid. He quickly put the vials in the injector and he placed it on his arm and pressed down the plunger injecting the liquid into his bloodstream, he then put the injector on his right leg and pressed down again.

'_That should protect me from the radiation…..but I don't know for how long…I've got to get out of here'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

"It doessssn't matter Powersssss I will still kill you"

"No you won't Zander…..but I will kill YOU!" he shouted thrusting his hands forward. Scorching Green radiation bubbled within his palms and then shot forward hitting Zander dead in the chest.  
"RAHHHH!" he yelled in pain as he felt the heat burn away his cloak and burn his scaly snake skin. Powers did it again and unintentionally added more force. The force of the blast blew Zander through the wall of Derek's office and sent him spiraling downward towards the ground.

* * *

"P-POWER-SSSSSSSSS!" shouted Zander as he fell through the air. He painfully reached up and extended his new claws. He reached out and sunk his claws into the Wayne-Powers building. His claws penetrated the metal and concrete and he began to slow down tremendously, he held up his other hand and did the same thing slowly him down even more. Once he neared the ground he sprung off the wall and landed on the roof of car. He looked up at the top of the building where he fell from and he hissed.

"Next time…Powerssssssss" he said before hopping off the car and running to the man-hole he had open across the street. He reached the man-hole and jumped down disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

**Derek's Office**

The Gray Ghost's eyes widen as he saw Zander get blown through the wall and fall through the air, he tapped the side of his goggles and the lens switched to green and zoomed in on Zander's fall. The Gray Ghost watched as Zander saved himself and flee into the sewers of Neo-Gotham.

"YOU!" he heard Powers shout. He turned to the glowing man and threw several throwing stars, all of them melted once they neared Derek.

"Neat trick" said the Gray Ghost

"Who are you?"

"Does it really matter?"

"No it doesn't" replied Derek in a matter of fact tone before thrusting his hands forward. The Gray Ghost ducked under the blast and then rolled across the ground. He got up and made a dash for the open window. Derek kept firing radiation blast after radiation blast at his foe, but the Gray Ghost was agile dodging each radiation blast. The Gray Ghost neared the window and then jumped out.

Derek ran to the window to see The Gray Ghost's cloak spread like wings and glide away through the Neo-Gotham night air.

* * *

**NGCPD**

"Finally….finished" said Montoya as she leaned back in her seat. She had finally finished compiling the list of 'unscrupulous places' that the Commissioner had asked for. Montoya cracked her neck and then her back trying to stretch out her tired muscles. Montoya stood from her desk and started for the Commissioner's door.

* * *

**Commissioner Gordon's Office**

Barbara was sitting in her office, with her desk full of mind numbing paperwork. She let out a sigh and put her pen down.

"I really hate Paperwork" she said to herself rubbing her tired eyes

**RING! RING! RING!** Went the cell phone. Barbara reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She looked at the number and scrunched her face up in confusion.

"Hello" she answered

"Ms. Gordon…this is Yinn...an urgent matter had come up. Bruce Wayne is in Danger. An assassin by the name of Inque is on her way to kill him, I'm in pursuit but she is quick and deadly…and also can you alert Mr. McGinnis that would be great as well, I'm closing in on the Mansion now"

"I'll do that and we'll met you there" she said getting up from her seat. She hung up her phone and rushed through her door.

* * *

Barbara rushed through her door and ran directly into Montoya Bullock.

"Commissioner where's the fire" she asked

"No where" she replied quickly sidestepping Montoya and heading for the door.

"Wait Commissioner I finished….." she started

"Later Montoya"

"But…this stuff is…"

"Look Montoya I'm in a rush I'm sure whatever it is you can handle it, but if you can't just put it on my desk and I'll get to it….later" said Barbara as she left the NGCPD. Detective Bullock stood rooted in her spot looking at Commissioner Gordon's retreating form.

"Okay...whatever you say Commissioner"

* * *

**Dana's House**

"Well here we are" said Terry as he and Dana stood in front of her luxurious house.

"Yeah" she replied. Terry looked around but he didn't see her father's car.

"Your folk's not home" he asked

"No….They are on some work related business trip"

"Really" he said with a smirk

"Don't get any ideas McGinnis" she said walking to her front door.

"What me….of course not" he said following behind her.

Dana put her hand on the pad and the front door swished open, she turned around to face Terry.

"Look…thanks for…..you know walking me home"

"It was no problem Dana….really"

The Two teens stood there uncomfortably and awkwardly looking at the other and shifting in their spot. They both wanted to say something to the other but they just didn't know what to say.

'I can't believe this is so hard…..I mean I jump off of buildings and fly through the sky for God's sake' thought Terry, looking at Dana.

"Good night Ter….." she started before Terry stepped towards her and crushed his lips to hers. Dana resisted slightly but all of those emotions she was attempting to hold back faded away and she found herself closing her eyes and kissing back. The two pulled each other closer and their kiss depended.

**RING! RING! RING! **

Terry opened his eyes and broke the kiss with Dana, they were both breathing extremely hard. He angrily dug into his pockets and pulled out his phone to see a number he didn't recognized.

"WHAT!" he shouted into the phone.

"McGINNIS THIS IS GORDON! BRUCE IS IN TROUBLE GET YOUR ASS TO THE MANSION!" she shouted

"What….I-I just talked to him"

"An Assassin is on the way to kill him someone named Inque"

"OH NO!" he replied because he knew exactly who she was talking about, "I'm on my way" he said hanging up the phone.

"Is everything okay Terry" she asked

"Dana…..I-I know this is a strange request but…..can I borrow your car it's an emergency"

"McGinnis…." She started

"Dana I know….I know, but I need it…it's an emergency" he said with a pleadingly look.

Dana let out a sigh

"Hold on….I'll get my Keys" she replied walking into her house.

* * *

**Wayne Mansion**

Bruce Wayne exited the Bat-cave through the secret clock entrance and found himself in his lavish living room. He had just finished putting the final touches on the Bat-suit and once he finished that he decided to call it a night. He started to walk towards the stairs when he had to stop. All of his years of training and all of his years as Batman had instilled in him a sense of awareness. An awareness he couldn't fully explain but he trusted explicitly. He could feel it in the air…..something was wrong, something was off. He turned around in his spot and he looked around, for anything that was out of place.

'It's quiet…too quiet' he thought to himself. Now, Bruce was used to the quiet but usually when it was this quiet that meant that something was about to happen.

"ACE!" he shouted

**KCH!** Went the sound of the lights being cut off. Bruce calmly looked around at the dark Mansion living room; the only light was the moonlight that was shinning through the large windows. Bruce held up his cane and gave it a twist, and pulled a long sword from within the cane.

"Show yourself" he demanded, knowing that someone was in there with him.

"My My My…..you're a strange old man you know that" came a voice from everywhere, "Usually when the lights go out my targets all start panicking and running around….it's actually quite amusing….but you…you strangely seem at home…..in the dark"

"Show….yourself" he demanded again.

In the glow of the moonlight, part of the darkness began to rise up and take the form of a woman, but she didn't have a face, on a white circle where her face should be.

"Who are you?"

"Assassin" she stated

"That's what…not who"

"I'm Inque"

"Who sent you Inque"

"Doesn't Matter" she replied holding up her arm and a long black blade formed.

"I remember you from the Wayne-Powers mixer…you tried to kill me then"

"That's right, but this time no one is here to save you" she said before thrusting her arm forward. Bruce barely had enough time to maneuver out of the way. As he stepped out of the way he turned his eyes and saw Inque rapidly slither across the ground towards him. Several sharp tentacles of black extended from her body. One stabbed Bruce in his left arm, another one in his left shoulder, then another one stabbed him in the right leg, and on in his right side, and the last one wrapped around his throat.

Bruce didn't' yell but he grunted in pain.

"Time to die Wayne" she said

**SMASH! **

Inque turned around to see a man in a black and red karate gi roll to a crouch.

"YOU AGAIN!" shouted Inque

"Hello Inque" he said before charging forward, he jumped in the air and sailed towards her with a punch from his gloved right fist. The punch connected and delivered an electric shock at the same time.

"AHHHHH!" she shouted in pain as she was tossed away, letting go of Bruce in the process. Yinn knelt down and checked on Bruce.

"I-I'm….f-fine…handle…h-her" he struggled to get out.

Yinn nodded his head and turned to where he last saw Inque but she had disappeared.

"So you must be Yanng's brother…Yinn" said Inque from all around.

"How is my brother by the way" Yinn asked on guard as his eyes searched for any sudden movement.

"Don't know….we split paths months ago…but I do know that he's gonna be doing a lot better than you" she said in a sing song voice.

Yinn's eyes turned to the left to see a quick flash of movement; he ducked under a strike, and then rolled out of the way of another strike. Yinn looked down and saw her slithering towards him. He bent down and struck the floor with his gloved hand and an electrical current flowed in a straight line and hit the approaching Inque, shocking her again.

"AHHHHHH!" she shouted. Yinn dashed towards her and delivered a powerful punch to her stomach. The electrical shock had made her transform to her solid form. The punch from Yinn knocked the wind out of her mouth. Yinn followed his punch with a swift uppercut, and then a spin kick. Inque took the blow and stumbled back, Yinn capitalized on her being stunned and grabbed her face releasing more and more shocks.

"This night you die for your Crime Inque" growled Yinn. Inque weakly grabbed his arms and then kneed him in the stomach as hard as she could. Yinn released her. Inque headbutted him and used her remaining strength to swing him around and then throw him across the room where he slammed into a painting of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

* * *

**Outside of Wayne Manor**

**VROOM! VROOM! CRASH! **Went the sound of the car as it smashed through the gates of Wayne Manor. Barbara drove up the hill as quickly as she could. She glanced through her rear view mirror to see Terry driving a silver convertible right behind her. Both cars came to a screeching halt as they both reached the front doors.

Barbara and Terry wordlessly hopped out of their vehicles and rushed towards the doors, but as they neared the doors Terry stopped. He turned to the left and he saw a green hose on the ground, and that's when an idea struck in his head.

'_Inque doesn't like water'_ he thought to himself as he smirked and ran towards the hose.

* * *

**Inside the Manor**

Inque dropped to knee and tried to recover

"Dammit" she growled to herself. She looked to the right to see Bruce Wayne trying to fight to his feet despite his injuries. She gathered her remaining strength and formed a black blade and was about to thrust it at Bruce.

**SLAM! **

Inque turned to see a woman kick open the doors to Wayne Manor and she had her gun drawn at the ready.

**POW! POW! POW! POW!** Went the gun as she let off a few rounds. Each round hit Inque with pinpoint accuracy. Since she was still semi-weakened, some of the rounds hit and hurt her will the others harmlessly passed through her body. Barbara ran and stood in front of Bruce and fired off a few more rounds, but Inque was able to dodge. She lashed out with her right hand which extended and knocked the gun from out of Barbara's hands.

"You Bitch" growled Inque forming a sharp blade out of her left and.

Suddenly Terry ran in front of Barbara with the hose in hand

"TIME TO TAKE A BATH BITCH!" hey yelled before pulling on the release valve and a stream of water unleashed from the hose and hit Inque dead square in the chest.

"NOOOO!" she screeched in pain and shock. Half of her body broke apart and began to dissolve. The other half clawed and crawled across the mansion carpet desperately trying to get away. Terry aimed the hose and the fleeing half

"AHHHHH!" she screeched again.  
Inque in pain and agony used whatever remaining strength she had to form dissolving legs. She ran and burst through the window.

Terry turned the hose off and ran to the window. He looked out to see Inque run through the gates and disappear through the trees that separated Wayne Manor from the rest of Gotham.

"She's gone" he stated while letting out a breathe and turning back to the other people in the room. Yinn rose to his feet and grabbed his left shoulder in pain. He held up his right hand and gave his left shoulder a hard hit and a loud audible crack was heard, indicating that he had just popped his arm back in place.

"Are you alright" asked Terry looking at Yinn

"Yes, I shall be fine"

"McGINNIS! HELP ME!" shouted Barbara standing over an unconscious Bruce. Terry and Yinn immediately ran over and knelt down to the injured Bruce. Yinn inspected the injuries.

"He's lost some blood, and he might have some internal bleeding but I should be able to heal him and he should be fine….we must take him upstairs and I'll do what I can" he said.

Terry scooped up the unconscious Bruce in his arms and proceeded to carry him upstairs.

* * *

**15 minutes Later**

Damian Wayne limped through the doors of Wayne Manor.

"YINN! BARBARA!" he shouted.

"Over here" came a voice. Damian limped a few steps and into the lavish living room to see Barbara and Terry sitting on the couch.

"How's he doing" he asked

"Yinn Got here just in time to stop her from killing him, but she was able to give him a few injuries…..he'll live though" she replied to him.

"And Inque"

"She got away" said Terry, "But don't worry I'll catch her and bring her in" he said confidently

"Like hell you will kid, she's dangerous….and she's definitely out of league for an amateur like you" Damian snapped.

"You know something…..Damian….you're an asshole" said Terry standing up.

"I'm an asshole…..would you listen to him Barbara I'm trying to help him, I'm trying to save him from a life he doesn't fully understand and he calls me an asshole you ungrateful snot nose little…" Damian started to growl before Barbara stood up.

"Damian calm down"

"NO! I will not calm down you need to tell him….tell him that being Batman is wrong"

"Being Batman isn't wrong…..it's right, I'm helping people" Terry defended.

Barbara let out a sigh as she heard the words leave Terry's mouth, she glanced at him and saw the defiant look in his eyes and then she glanced at Damian who looked like he was ready to explode with anger.

"Look both of you settle down" she said attempting to be the voice of reason between the two, between the past, which was Damian, and the present, which was Terry.

"Tell him he's wrong Commissioner Gordon Tell him that if it wasn't for me being Batman people would be dead right now" said Terry

"Barbara….tell him he's walking a path that gonna destroy him in the end" demanded Damian.

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" she shouted, instantly both of them closed their mouths, and gave her their undivided attention. Barbara took a few steps forward and rubbed her tired eyes. She let out a sigh and then turned to the both of them.

"You're both right" she stated simply

"WH…" they started before she interrupted.

"LET ME FINISH" she shouted "You're both right….Damian if you get pass your issues with Bruce you know deep down in your heart that Batman does do good, all of the time you spent as Batman you know exactly how much good you did, the people you saved, but Terry…..at the same time you don't know where Damian and I are coming from….you don't know the price you pay for being Batman. If you want to be Batman you have to know you are sacrificing your family, friends, body, soul, and sanity" she said seriously staring at him. Terry swallowed the lump in his throat and looked between Damian and Barbara.

"You're right I don't know where the two of you are coming from so it would be helpful if you could shed some light on the situation" he replied

"I know" she stated "I know it would help so that's why I want you to sit down and listen, I'm going to tell you exactly where we are coming from. I'm going to tell you all about… the Fall of Batman"

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. ** **Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. Yeah I know it's been a whole month since I update this story, I bet you readers thought I forgot about this story, let me be the first to tell you that couldn't be further from the truth. I will complete this story, this Batman tale has been on my mind for a while so I won't stop until it's complete, the truth about the lack of update is that Secret Warrior: Spider-Man is a beast in my mind, probably the same size of beast that is TSA: Amazing Spider-man, ideas just keep popping in my mind left and right, so I just had to get those ideas out. But anyway that's no excuse to keep you Batman fans waiting in the wings, so what I'm trying to do now is to update all three stories at the same time, so that way everyone is happy. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, because the next chapter is probably hands down the most important chapter in the whole story. This is the one of the first chapters I started working on and the next chapter is the deciding factor for me as whether or not I'm going to do a sequel to this story. So my readers, please Review(Feedback, I like the feedback) and meet me back here for the next chapter in this Batman Epic….this is me saying until next time….**

**Ps: The Newest chapter Secret Warrior: Spider-man is out, I urge you readers to head on over and check out that story and leave me a review and tell me how I'm doing in telling the story….do you think it's epic or weak….thanks…..This is me saying Later…..**

**Next Up: The Fall of Batman**


	15. The Fall of Batman

**Disclaimer: If you don't know by now then I'll say it again I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS! ALL CREDIT GOES DIRECTLY TO DC. They are the owners not me, I'm in no way making any money off of this story I can assure you. Again NO MONEY IS BEING MADE OR EXCHANGE! So please find it in your heart not to sue me. I have no money…..Thanks.**

**Hey Readers its Nomad88 back with another chapter. Just a little note before hand, this chapter Is very important, I've been hinting at this chapter with all of the flashbacks. Now you the reader get to read/see just what happened in the past that made everyone so jaded and walk away from Batman. Now I warn you readers this chapter is kinda…dark and slightly graphic, this is the reason why this story is rated M, but hopefully you readers will like it, despite its dark ton, and like I said this chapter is really the deciding factor for me if I want to do a sequel, because a few elements from this chapter are going to be a dominant presence in a Volume 2. So anyway Readers sit back relax, Read, Review (Please review) and ENJOY…**

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Fall of Batman**

**Wayne Manor: 10:00 pm**

In the lavish living room of Wayne Manor were three people. The first person was Terry McGinnis the new Batman; he was sitting on the expensive couch waiting patiently for the two people in front of him to begin speaking and the people in front of him were Barbara Gordon Young the original Batgirl, and the other was Damian Wayne who was once known as Robin the sidekick to Batman in his youth, but now he goes by the name of the Gray Ghost. About an hour ago Bruce Wayne the original Batman and Damian's father was the target of assaination by an Assassin known as Inque, she was able to injure him but through a combination effort between Terry, Barbara, and Yinn (Damain's Crime fighting partner and butler) they were able to fight her off. After the fight there was a slight argument between the Old Batman Damian and the New Batman Terry, and it was about the hardships of being Batman. The old school crime fighters Barbara and Damian knew the toll and the price of being Batman, but Terry didn't, so with great reluctance Barbara and Damian had decided to revisit the past and tell Terry just what being Batman means. Terry shifted in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. His patience was being to wane slightly because he wanted them to go ahead and tell the story. He studied their faces and a range of different emotions past through their faces, for Barbara Terry saw: sadness, regret, shame and pain, and for Damian, Terry saw: Anger, rage, sadness, and guilt. Terry let out a sigh and decided that he had enough of waiting around.

"Hey…you guys know it been over 30 minutes now and you haven't said a word, it case you forgot you're supposed to be telling me a story" he said flippantly

"Shut up McGinnis" Barbara replied "I'm going to tell you…but the story is…..complicated, I'm trying to find the best place to start, so you'll understand" she continued.

"I know the perfect place to start" stated Damian as he sat down in one of the recliner chairs in the lavish living room.

"Where?" Barbara asked

"The Final Crisis" he replied

"Final Crisis?" Terry repeated

"You don't know about it…..didn't you learn that in school" asked Damian

"I was in Juvie" Terry replied

"Figures" said Damian rolling his eyes, "The Final Crisis kid was when Darkseid…..you do know who Darkseid is right"

"Yeah I've been to the Justice League Museum" Terry replied

"Good…anyway Darkseid and his minions on Apokolips invaded earth again and it was up to the heroes of the whole multiverse to stop him. Long story short the battle started to go south Darkseid was winning that was until Batman came in contact with a gun that could kill Gods, he fought his way to Darkseid and I guess you can say a Mexican standoff happened"

"Okay so I'm guessing since Bruce is still here he got the first shot off" said Terry

"No. They both hit their targets" said Damian

"Bruce shot Darksied with a radon bullet effectively weakening him enough for us to win the battle, but Darkseid hit Bruce with his Omega Effect eye Beams…..and killed him" Barbara chimed in

"At least we thought it killed him"

"Wait it didn't" asked Terry

"No McGinnis it didn't" Barbara answered "The Omega Effect beams flung him into the past"

"Sounds freaky" replied Terry

"God knows it probably was….can you image feeling yourself being flung through time and not only that but being apart of a plan to be some sort of doomsday weapon" asked Barbara

"Darkseid flung him into the past so he could explode and destroy the 21 century

"No I can't imagine that….but I mean didn't stuff like that happen only a daily basis" said Terry

"Unfortunately it kinda does….but this time I think was different, Bruce was sent through time and he had to fight his way back to the present time…and for us it was about six months…six months of him being dead…but for him I don't know how long it seemed maybe days, weeks, months…years of just hopping through time not know where he was going to end up…" said Damian

"But then out of the clear blue…Bruce Wayne Returned to the present" finished Barbara

"That's good right" asked Terry

"Depends on your definition of Good kid…Don't get us wrong we were happy that he returned….it was a miracle…. Batman had cheated death once again"

"Just like we always knew he would" said Barbara with a smirk "He returned like nothing had happened…"

"I'm sensing a but coming" came Terry response

"But" started Damian "But while everything was fine on the outside…..on the inside….things were terrible"

"Terrible how" asked Terry

"McGinnis…they say when you go through a traumatic experience …the best thing you can do is talk about it…..let it out, clear the air, tell someone or somebody what you're thinking, the worst thing you can do is hold it in and let it fester…..because when you let something fester in your mind….something within you…..snaps"

"So Bruce went insane….is that what your saying"

"He was already insane to begin with kid" Damian chimed "I mean look at what happened with his first traumatic experience. An 8year old kid sees his parents gunned down in front of him…very traumatic….and this kid's response to that tragedy is to dedicate his life to crime fighting by putting on a Bat costume and jump across rooftops in the dead of night, can't get much more insane than that"

"I've talked to Alfred about this right before he quit" said Barbara

"Who's Alfred?"

"Bruce's ex-butler and ex-confident…..and probably his best friend" Barbara replied "He told me that when Bruce came home from the precinct after his parent's murder, he sat in his room for five days straight….didn't say a word only eating and drinking the bare minimum….Alfred was growing concerned but when the fifth day came around Bruce came out of his room and told Alfred he wanted to go to school in Japan. I think it was then that he had some sort of Nervous Breakdown and he just never recovered"

"Wait are suggesting that he's had this breakdown for years" asked Damian looking at Barbara

"I mean it's possible" she replied

"So…..he had a breakdown and all the years of being Batman just compounded upon this breakdown" asked Damian with wide eyes.

"I don't know Damian, maybe…I'm not a psychiatrist, this is all best guess and speculation"

"HA!..that sounds about right though, but I mean a nervous breakdown… What does that say about him…what does that say about us for that matter…we've been following behind a crazy person our whole lives…..no wonder he attracted depraved minds like the Joker on a daily basis…..crazy can sense crazy" he commented.

"Also Damian remember that before the whole death thing he had a short lapse in reality when he was dealing with Doctor Hurt and the Black Glove"

"Ah yes…Batman of Zur-En-Arrh…..God….first Black Glove and then right after that the Final Crisis…I guess every man has a breaking point…..even Batman"

"Uh…hello nervous breakdown…isn't that when people start singing show tunes and talking to themselves" asked Terry

"No you idiot…..a nervous breakdown is when a person has an emotional and psychological collapse, depending on the person this breakdown can be either introvertive or extrovertive and some of the symptoms of a nervous breakdown is complete disinterest in social life, paranoia, anxiety, delusions of grandeur, and extremely poor judgment or decision making, which to a certain extent pretty much sums up my father" came Damian's voice

"Okay…." Terry replied

"Anyway back to the topic at hand…. Bruce's response when he came back from his little trip through time…..it wasn't to reflect on what happened to him… ….it wasn't rethinking your life and being appreciative about what you have….. …was it rest and relaxation…...nope, none of those…"started Barbara

"His response McGinnis…was to expand the Batman Family" Damian finished letting out a dry laugh after her statement.

"The Batman Family" Terry Repeated

"At the time we're talking about McGinnis there were a ton of Bat-theme people scrambling across roof tops, we all had some baggage with us and like moths to the flame we were attracted to the man that had the more baggage than a Gotham city airport" he said

"The Bat Family consisted of: Batman which was Dick Grayson at the time"

"Who" asked Terry

"The Original Robin…a story for a later time just let me finish" Barbara replied "Anyway it was Dick Grayson, Damian the current Robin, Tim Drake-Red Robin, Stephanie Brown the current Batgirl, and Me" said Barbara

"I thought you were Batgirl" asked Terry

"I was until I got injured and I was confided to a wheel chair for some time…but I'm getting to that"

"Okay…alright let me get this straight. Bruce went through time or whatever….came back through time and he told you guys the… excuse me…Bat Family…that he wanted to expand"

"Right" answered Damian "He said that his recent travel through time taught him that there was strength in numbers"

"He said he wanted to make Batman global….expand the fight on crime even though the crime in Gotham hadn't been dealt with despite all of the years we all had been crime fighting…franchise it if you will" said Barbara

"God…..I remember the day he told us…you remember Barbara…..do you remember what he called it" asked Damian laughing slightly at the memory

"What did he call it…" asked Terry looking at Barbara

"He called it…..

* * *

**Flashback: Years ago: Bat-Cave**

"**Batman Incorporated**" stated Batman aka Bruce Wayne as he stood before his Bat-Family. His eyes darted across their faces looking at their expressions, searching for a reaction to what he just said to them. The first person his eyes laid upon was that of his first sidekick/partner in the crime fighting business and a young man that he come to know as his adopted son, Dick Grayson. In his absence Dick had taken over the mantle of Batman and Bruce couldn't have been more proud. He was currently leaning against the Bat computer and he had a look of uncertainty on his face.

Leaning next to Dick was his actual flesh and blood son 10year old Damian Wayne aka Robin. Damian's mother was Bruce's one time flame Talia Al Ghul the second in command of an assassin group named the League of Shadows. Like his mother Damian had an expression on his face that he couldn't read but as long as it involved fighting Bruce knew Damian would have no problem with his plan.

Across from Damian was Bruce's other adoptive son Tim Drake who had a smile on his face after hearing about his plan. Tim was in his late teens, he stood at 5'11 with dark hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. He had a lean muscular build and he was garbed in his Red Robin costume. Tim Drake became Bruce's adoptive son after deducing the identity of Dick Grayson as Robin, once he found out the identity of Dick he immediately made the connection of Bruce Wayne being Batman. He then went and demanded to be trained and Bruce agreed. During his Training Tim's Parents where kidnapped and poisoned which left Tim an orphan, it was after his parents' death that Tim was adopted and became Bruce's son. When Dick Grayson gave up being Robin and became Nightwing, Tim did an extensive stint as Robin, but that changed once Damian came into the picture and took over being Robin. When Bruce '_died'_ Tim formed a new identity for himself and it was then that Red Robin was born. When Bruce returned to the land of the living Tim could probably be described as happiest to see him return.

Standing next to Tim was his ex-girlfriend and the current Batgirl Stephanie Brown and she like Tim had a smile on her face indicating that she liked the idea as well. Stephanie was the daughter of one of Batman's lesser known villains named cluemaster. Stephanie's first step into crime fighting was when she put on a costume and became Spoiler. She was trying to stop her dad from his life of crime but ended up failing to do so, he ended up being put in jail by Batman and Robin. Though she failed to save her father she found that she like being a crime fighter and continued her career. In her career she ran into Robin aka Tim Drake and the two found that they had a lot in common and began to date, but they weren't dating for long until she got severely injured during one of their outings. Stephanie was injured so bad that she died, which sent Robin into depression, but little did Robin know that she didn't really die, Dr. Leslie Thompkins faked her death. She wanted to use Stephanie's death as an example to Bruce to stop using kids in his crusade against crime. Stephanie had been sent to Africa to help out in one of Dr. Thompkins medical facilities, but her heart kept calling out to Gotham and it wasn't long before she returned. Stephanie continued as spoiler but then she ran into one of her friends Cassandra Cain, who was being Batgirl at the time. Cassandra quit being Batgirl after hearing that Bruce had died and gave her the Batgirl costume. Stephanie at first was reluctant but has grown into the shoes of Batgirl and proved herself a capable crime fighter.

Lastly sitting in her wheelchair was a younger Barbara Gordon who had a shocked look on her face.

"Excuse Me Bruce can you repeat that please" said Barbara still slightly shocked, "Because for a minute it sounded like you said you wanted to globalize Batman"

"That's right Barbara I do. I'm calling this globalization Batman Incorporated I'm taking it to the next level. I'm going to take the Bat-Family and make it into a franchise. I want to spread the reach of Batman throughout the world making it so that whenever evil is around Batman is there to face it" he said

"When you say Franchise you mean….we're recruiting" asked Dick

"That's right Dick we are….I'm going to scour the earth and search for those that I believe are the best candidates and I'm going to train them. Look at how much good all of us have done in Gotham together…..think how much we could do with more of us….more of us that believe in bringing criminals to justice" he said staring at them.

"HELL YES!" shouted Tim in enjoyment "I agree….this is a good step and the next logical one…as our enemies multiply so must we" he continued

"Exactly my point" said Batman "Our enemies are not limited to just Gotham…but everywhere…..all across the globe and we need to be there to face them and stop them before their plans can even get off the ground"

"Will there be fighting involved?" asked Damian

"Most likely…..we will need to establish a base in certain areas and make our presence known" he replied

"Steph what do you think about this" asked Tim turning to her

"I think..." she started before turning to him to see the pleased look on his face, "I think…..I think it's a good idea but can we really pull this off"

"If we are all in this together then we can"

Dick and Barbara glanced at each other for a second and they both had a look on their face that suggested that they weren't too convinced. Dick walked forward and Barbara wheeled herself forward and they both went towards Batman.

"Can we talk to you over here for a second" asked Barbara. Dick and Barbara led Batman off to the side so they could talk to him privately for a second.

"First and foremost….it's good to have you back Bruce….but are feeling okay" she asked him.

"Barbara I've never felt better in my life" he responded quickly

"Bruce are you sure about this…this is idea it's….." started Dick

"Dick I've never felt so sure about something in my life….I believe that this is something that we are supposed to do….its like….its like the first time I put on the Bat-suit. I knew…..I knew this is what I was meant to do" he said with conviction.

"Bruce I want to believe you but….I don't think this is a good idea" she replied

"I have to agree with Barb on this one….Batman Incorporated"

"Both of you listen….I respect your opinions the most, the two of you have been in this with me the longest and I understand your hesitation…..I do, but I need you two to trust me. I have everything planned out already, all that's really left to do is to put my plan into action but the root…..no….the heart of my plans lie right here with this group. All of you are the core and the key element to my plans, especially the two of you" he started before taking off of his mask and revealing the face of Bruce Wayne. Barbara looked at his face and noticed the slight stubble on his cheeks and his eyes looked red and tired like he hadn't sleep for a few days or so, which meant that he looked normal.

"Dick….Barbara….I can not do this without the two of you…..I can't. Will you help me?"

Barbara looked into his tired blue eyes and she let out a sigh, she then turned to Dick whose expression softened a little as well. They looked at each other and then they both let out a collective sigh.

"Alright Bruce…count us in" she said as a smile started to grace her lips.

* * *

**Present: Wayne Manor**

"I was too young to really know what was going on….but now that I'm older…..We should have had him committed to a psych ward…..you and Dick should have known something was wrong with him then" said Damian.

"And I think we did know on a certain level….deep down we knew…..we knew that this was terrible idea but…..how could we say no to him" she replied

"I know why…both of you loved him. Dick loved his as a father and you were just plain in love with him…..very disgusting by the way Barb"

"Don't be an asshole Damian" she stated

"Wait….you mean you and Bruce" asked Terry with wide eyes.

"Yes…but that wasn't until later"

"Okay so….Batman Incorporated…..what happened after that"

"Major recruitment efforts" answered Damian.

* * *

**Flashback: Past: Gotham City Four Season Penthouse: Presidential Suite**

Bruce was lifting weights on the bench press that he had put into the suite. As he was lifting weights a half naked Selina Kyle aka Catwoman sauntered over towards him and straddled his waist. She leaned forward a bit until her beautiful green eyes found Bruce's blue ones.

"Mmmmmm…..Batman Incorporated huh" she said in her usual sultry voice.

"I could use your help on this one Selina"

"Me and you huh…..globe trotting fighting crime…stealing priceless gems and artifacts…..hmmm…sounds fun" she purred while licking her lips

"No stealing Selina" he replied with a smile

"Spoil Sport. Well handsome as long as it doesn't involve water….count me in" she replied leaning down further and kissing him.

* * *

**Gotham City: Barbara's Apartment**

Barbara stared at the people gathered before her. They were Helena Bertinelli aka The Huntress, Dinah Lance aka Black Canary, Zinda Blake aka Lady Blackhawk, Dawn Granger aka Dove, Hank Hall aka Hawk, and finally Charlotte Gage-Radcliff aka Misfit. Together with Barbara leading them they were the Birds of Prey. These were the people that Barbara trusted the most besides Bruce and Dick, they were considered her family as well, especially her _'sisters'_ Black Canary and Huntress. Barbara studied their reactions and each had a different emotion playing across their face.

"Batman incorporated" repeated Helena with raised eyebrows "Is Batman insane"

"No Helena…." started Barbara

"I like it…beating the snot out of criminals around the world instead of just here in Gotham...count me in" said Hank

"Of course the Brute would like it" chimed Helena

"Shut it you harpy" growled Hank in anger

"Hank calm down" said Dawn in a soothing voice and placing a hand on his shoulder

"Barb, what do you think of this" asked Dinah trying to see where her most trusted friends' thoughts lied on the subject.

"Yeah sis do you think this is a good idea" Zinda chimed

Barbara let out a sigh as she saw that all eyes were on her waiting for her to answer, she remembered what Bruce had told her about needing her if this plan was going to work, and she agreed to help him but she was still on the fence about this idea, but now wasn't the time to voice her concern not when the recruitment effort was in full swing. Bruce was off with Selena recruiting, Dick and Damian were off recruiting people as well, the same went for Tim and Stephanie. She took a deep breathe and stared back at them.

"I think this is a great idea and it's the next step. So far we've only been treating the symptoms of crime. We wait for the villains to gather and then we go after them, this time with this Batman incorporated iniative we're going to take the fight to the criminals…catch them off guard and stop them before they even have a chance to get off the ground, Batman is actively recruiting and training people to his cause"

"Why us though" asked Dinah "We haven't always seen eye to eye with him"

"Naturally he only wants the best of the best, he needs it in order for this to work and the first people I came to were you all….and he was confident that you all would see eye to eye with him on this idea of his"

"I don't know about this Barb…" started Helena

"Come on sis, it could be fun" Zinda interrupted being intrigued by the idea.

"Wait….Does this mean we won't be the Birds of Prey anymore…..because I really hope not" asked Charlotte.

"Damn good Question" said Helena turning to Barbara

"Yes we'll still be the Birds of Prey and we'll still do our own thing, but just on certain missions we'll have to make ourselves known to be in league with Batman"

"So what are we his Employees" asked Dawn

"If we are how much money are we pulling down" joked Hank

"No….he doesn't want you thinking of this as a partnership but more along the lines of…." She started

"Along the lines of what" asked Dinah

"Being apart of the Bat-Family" she finished looking at them

"So are we the Bat cousins" Hank asked jokingly

"That was actually a good one" commented Helena with a smile on her face.

"You can be if you want…but the question still stands…..do you all want to be part of Batman Incorporated" Barbara asked.

"Well Barbara if you think this is a good idea and the next step in where the Birds should go….then you've got my vote" said Dinah

"I'm still on the fence about this….something doesn't seem right with this decision….it feels off" said Helena

"Are you sure that's you talking or is that the Question" asked Dinah with a smile. Helena threw her a look.

"But despite my feelings though, I agree with Dinah….Barbara if you think this is a good idea then count me in" she said folding her arms across her chest.

"I do" replied Barbara

"Well then I guess we're the newest Employees of Batman Incorporated" said Dawn

"Cool…..since we are gonna be part of this Bat-Family does that mean we get our own Bat-cave and Bat-jet" asked Charlotte

"Forget the bloody cave I want the Car" came Zinda's voice.

"Well I see you guys have wasted no time in discovering one of the perks of being apart of Batman Inc…the gadgets" said Barbara

"I wonder what other fun toys the Bat has in his little hideout" asked Helena out loud, not realizing what she said.

All of the eyes in the room turned to her as the words left her mouth. She turned to them and looked at them in confusion.

"What" she said

"Exactly what kinda toys are you talking about Helena" asked Dinah in a playful voice. Instantly Helena realized what she had said and she looked at each of them

"Oh will you people get your minds out of the gutter….jeez" she replied quickly her cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment, while everyone else in the room let out a laugh.

* * *

**China-Hong Kong**

Tim Drake aka Red Robin descended through the night time Hong Kong air. He had his cape spread and he glided down towards the roof of an old building that overlooked Hong Kong. Red Robin landed silently on the roof and searched the area. From out of a darkened area a girl stepped out, she was the same age and height as Tim; she deftly walked towards him until she stood in front of him. Red Robin pulled his mask back to reveal his face to her.

"Man you're a hard one to find Cassandra" said Tim with a smile

Cassandra Cain was the daughter of David Cain and Lady Shiva two of the world's most deadliest fighter's and assassins. Cassandra was trained by her father but soon broke away from his teachers thanks in part to the intervention of Batman. Cassandra not being used to having contact with other people was taken under Barbara Gordon's wing in an attempt to integrate her back into society but soon Cassandra found her self wanting to be apart of the Batman legacy and thus became the new Batgirl. During her time as Batgirl Cassandra accomplished a lot of things and she also formed a strong bond with Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown. Once Batman died she gave up the mantle of batgirl to Stephanie and she disappeared stating now that she needed to find her own symbol to fight for now that Batman was dead.

"Did you ever stop to think that I didn't want to be found" she replied back to him. Tim looked Cassandra over and he noticed she was wearing a form fitting black and green costume. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Yes that thought did cross my mind but….I had to see you. Mostly to tell you that Bruce is back"

"He is" she repeated in shock "How"

"Doesn't really matter….the fact is that he's back and he wants you back…we all do"

"I'm sorry, but…I've carved a…..nice existence, here in Hong Kong"

"But this isn't your home though Cass, your home is with us in Gotham" he said "Being apart of the Bat-Family"

"The Bat-Family" she replied with raised eyebrows

"Yeah"

"Tim…I'll always be thankful for the way you and the others treated me…..how you gave me a home when I didn't have one and I still want to be apart of the Bat-Family but…right now, I need some space"

"Why" he asked confused

"I'm…I'm tracking my Mother…..Shiva, she's the only one who can answer my questions, the last time we met we didn't do much talking but this time I'm determined…..determined to get her to answer me"

"Shiva….do you need some help….Shiva is….a tough opponent"

"No….this is something I have to do on my own Tim" she replied. Tim let out a sigh and then look at the serious expression on her face, and then a smirk crossed his lips.

"I understand Cass, and I wish you the best of luck, but before I go I wanted to tell you about Bruce's new project…..it's called Batman Incorporated…it a plan to spread the symbol of Batman across the globe, bringing in new recruits training them and putting them in countries all over representing Batman….we could use you"

"Sounds like an interesting idea" she replied

"More than that….you should see the outline of his plan….He's starting in Japan, he was going to make a stop here in Honk Kong, but maybe he doesn't have to" said Tim looking at her.

"Perhaps once I'm finished with my mother….I could be the Batman of Hong Kong"

"You'll have to come up with a new name….since Steph is gonna be Batgirl"

"I already have a name…Blackbat" she said.

"Blackbat" Tim repeated

"Yeah….you like it" she asked with smile

"Uh…..it suits you" he responded smiling back at her.

* * *

**England**

"Batman Incorporated" came the shocked and Scottish accented voice of Squire.

"Has the Batman gone bonkers" asked Knight.

"No he's not crazy, he's realized that there is strength in numbers. He wants to expand and have all of us fighting under one banner and taking it to the criminals around the world" replied Stephanie Brown aka Batgirl.

Batgirl was currently on top of a building in England recruiting Knight and Squire the '_Batman and Robin'_ of England into Batman Incorporated.

"Sounds crazy to me" said Knight folding his arms across his armored chest

"So what if we join his lot we'll be what Bat-employees" asked Squire flippantly

"Look guys I know this might be a little unconventional but really this is a good idea. This is the next step, our enemies are expanding and so we gotta expand too" she reasoned.

"I don't know" replied Squire

"Trust me…Batman knows what he's doing….at least give him the benefit of the doubt, you owe him that much" said Batgirl.

"That we do" Knight replied. He cast a glance at Squire and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess it couldn't hurt" she said to Knight.

"Fine….tell the Batman we're in" Knight replied.

"Cool" Bat-girl said with a smile on her face.

* * *

**Gotham Pier**

"Batman Incorporated Huh" came the voice of Kate Kane aka Batwoman as she flipped over a thug and kicked him in the back. Kate was a beautiful woman and a capable fighter. She stood at 5'0 with fiery red hair, a black mask that covered her blue eyes and forehead leaving the bottom of her mouth exposed, she had a lean, toned and curvy build that was clearly seen through her black skin tight bat-costume, she had red gloves with razor sharp fins on her forearm, red boots, a red bat symbol going down her ample chest, a long cape that was blood red on the inside. Kate was a new addition to the bat-family; she was part of the wealthy Kane family who were almost as wealthy as the Wayne family. Kate grew up relatively happy and when she was of age she joined the military, after serving several terms in the military, she was released and she made her way back to Gotham. When she first arrived back in Gotham she was held at gun point, but thanks to her military training she subdued her assailants easily just as Batman arrived. Seeing him in person she became interested in him, not emotionally but the idea of him. Once Batman saw she was fine he swung off into the night and towards the shining bat-signal, enticing her even more. From that small encounter with the Batman she figured out what she wanted to do, she wanted to fight crime, so it wasn't long before she was off again traveling the world with her family's money learning different forms of martial arts. After doing that for a few years she returned home where her father Jack Kane who was a colonel in the military surprised her with a gift, her own bat-suit complete with military gadgets and weapons. Kate Kane donned her new outfit and became Batwoman. She quickly established herself and caught the attention of Batman who welcomed her into the fold.

"Yeah….Batman INC. If you will" replied Dick Grayson aka Batman delivering a devastating uppercut to the chin of another thug.

"Sounds Fun…..will there be a lot of fighting involved" she asked knocking the heads of two more thugs together knocking them out.

"I should hope so" chimed Damian Wayne aka Robin throwing a batarang at the hand of a thug trying to go for a gun, he rolled forward and sprung up with a kick to the man's jaw knocking him down.

"Of course you would hope for that Robin" said Batman elbowing the last thug.

"Well boys thank you for the help…."

"But" Batman interrupted

"But I'm a one woman show" she said with a small smile

"Oh come on at least think about it…we could really use you"

"Of course you could I am a woman of many talents" she replied

"I bet" Batman said with a sly smirk.

"Gag" stated Robin making a face

Batwoman smirked at him and then did a flip; she landed on top of a large crate.

"Okay Batman…I'll think about it, this sounds like history in the making and I've always wanted to be apart of history"

"So we can put you down as a maybe that's fine, hey in the mean time how about me and you get some dinner my treat"

Batwoman smiled at him and pulled out a grapping hook and fired it at the edge of a building.

"I would love to Batman but unfortunately for you….I like Women…until next time boys" she said pulling on the line and being pulled away, leaving the two in the middle of the beaten thugs.

"She likes Woman" stated Batman in shock watching her go, he felt a tap on his arm and he turned towards Robin who handed him a napkin.

"What do I need this for" he asked

"It's for the egg on your face" Robin replied with a devilish grin. Batman raised his fist and hit him on the head.

* * *

**Present **

"I don't know, this Batman Inc things sounds pretty schway" said Terry looking at Barbara and Damian.

"Does it McGinnis….does it really sound….schway" Damian replied glancing at him before shaking his head.

"Yeah it does" Terry said again "Jackass" he added under his breath

"I'll admit Terry that it was for a while….we were like the real live version of Ocean's 11. I mean you should have seen all of us that were gathered"

"It was a show" Damian chimed with a smile.

"So what happened after the core group recruited everybody" he asked.

"We brought the pain to criminals everywhere" Damian stated standing up and walking towards the broken window, "Like a shadow McGinnis we spread throughout the world fighting secret organizations, crazy scientist, drug rings, mad bombers, and everything in-between"

"It was a success Batman Incorporated spread the net of Batman so wide that no criminal was safe. We beat them so badly they didn't know which was up or which way was down" said Barbara with a smile.

"For how long" asked Terry

"Six years" they both said at the same time.

"Damn" Terry replied "You mean for Six years Batman Inc reign supreme"

"Yes" stated Damian turning and walking away from the window and back to his chair, "It was a wild ride those six years a lot crap happened some bad, but mostly it was good'

"Oh do tell"

"The good was that Batman Inc started to grow….we had dozens of people trained and operating out of dozens areas around the world…..Batman of Japan, Batman of China, Batman of Europe….we even had a Batman of Africa….and dozens more all of them trained and obedient to Batman….Bruce Wayne and under his command crime never stood a chance…..that was the good" said Barbara

"The Bad however…..was that the Justice League did not like the idea of a an army of Batmen under the command of Batman"

"Why" asked Terry

"Because once, long ago…Batman almost destroyed the Justice League. Batman actively discovered all of the founding member's weakness and he made documents of them….the documents were stolen and used against the League"

"Jeez…I bet they were pissed"

"You have no idea" Barbara replied "He was almost kicked out of the League and after that all of the league members became extremely wary of him…fast forward to Batman Inc and the league was…"

"Petrified" Damian answered for her. She glanced at him, "What don't look at me like that they were….everyone was scared of Batman and now he had his own army"

"Let's just say McGinnis that they weren't very pleased…especially Superman" she said.

* * *

**2 years into Batman Incorporated- Metropolis- Benny's Diner**

Two men, complete opposites of each other sat across from the other. One man was like the day shinning brightly for all to see, while the other man was like the night shrouding himself in darkness. These men were none other than Clark Kent aka Superman and Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Two of the most recognizable, respected and often feared individuals in the whole world, Batman because of mysterious ways and Superman because of his awesome powers. They have never seen completely eye to eye but for the most part they were able to compromise with each other, but on this day they wouldn't be able to compromise and the friendship that they had spent years developing could very well be lost.

A waitress in her mid thirties sauntered over to their table and placed a slice of apple pie in front of Clark and a slice of apple pie in front of Bruce.

"Is there anything else I can get you two handsome gentlemen" The waitress asked leaning on the table trying to get the two to notice her, but they didn't they continued to stare at the other trying to read the others expression. After a brief moment the waitress grew tired, shrugged her shoulders and walked away.

"As usual…..I guess I'll go first" said Clark putting both of his hands on the table, "Batman Incorporated…Batman INC." he continued smirking at the name.

"That's right" Bruce stated stoically, "The solution to the criminal element"

"Bruce I've witnessed you do and say some crazy and questionable things, things that I've gone back and thought about and I mean really thought about and determined that in the end you were right. You were right, but on this…..your little solution to the criminal element is completely wrong" Clark stated with conviction.

"No its not"

"Yes it is and for the life of me I can't understand why you don't see that…building an army of Batmen, how is that in anyway a good idea" asked Clark

"I can't be everywhere at once Kent, nor am I as fast as you or Wally, but crime though, that is a different story. It's everywhere….in every nook and cranny of this planet, and it can strike in an instant at any given moment….Batman Incorporated is how Batman can be everywhere to stop it. I want to spread the idea of Batman being everywhere that before anyone thinks about committing a crime they think of me first" said Bruce boring into the eyes of Clark.

"That's what the league is for Bruce…." He started

"Don't make me laugh Kent. The League is only good for the big threats, disasters and strange aliens, but what I'm talk about right now is the stuff that going on…right outside, right now. Somewhere out there a person is being shot, or stabbed, right now a child is being kidnapped and held for ransom, right now a little boy's parents are being murdered in front of him" Bruce replied balling up his fist slightly. Clark leaned back in his seat and look at his friend.

"So you think this is the right solution" asked Clark

"Yes" Bruce stated

"Then why….for the past 2 years you've kept this so called solution a secret" asked Clark. Bruce didn't responded he just continued to look at Clark, "It was by sheer luck that we found out when we did…..were you ever planning on telling us….or me for that matter"

"…" Bruce still didn't answer and Clark let out a dry laugh because he knew Bruce had no plans to reveal Batman Inc. to the league.

"Bruce….the League is concerned…they think you've gone off the deep end and….."

"Clark for as long as you've known me when have I ever cared what people think about me" he interrupted.

"Their worried about a repeat of…."

"Look you go back and tell that what happened before was a one time thing it will never happen again and they need to get over it…..they survived and we caught the person responsible"

"No…I'm not going to go tell them that…because that's not what they want to hear. We voted and Bruce you need to shut down this Batman Incorporated"

"This does not concern…." Bruce started.

"Bruce you've Spread this Batman Inc thing all over the world…..it's global….and if it's global it's a Justice League matter"

"And if I don't shut it down Clark what then" Bruce asked in a challenging manner.

"Well…..the League is requesting that you step down"

Bruce took in a deep breath and then stood up from the booth. He reached into his pocket and pulled out more than enough money for the apple pies that were in front of them and he placed it on the table.

"Officially Clark I was never a member to begin with" he said before he started to walk away, but before he got far and before he could react a strong grip grasps his arm. He stopped and then glanced at the hand and then at Clark.

"Bruce…..remember I'm your friend…so I'm saying this in the friendliest way possible. This is a bad idea…Batman Incorporated is going to blow up in your face horrendously and when it does I don't know if I'll be able to help you…so take my advice now and end it"

Bruce pulled his arm out of Clark's grasp and walked away.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"And that was the day Batman walked away from the Justice League" said Barbara

"Bummer" commented Terry unfolding his arms and leaning forward,

"I mean it's not like he needed them anyway. Batman Incorporated was his own League" Damian chimed.

"What about the rest of you guys….Robin, Batgirl, and the rest of the core members of Batman Inc"

"We still helped out on a few missions but whenever we were on the space station we could feel the eyes on us….news of Batman Incorporated spread like wildfire"

"Someone leaked it to the media" Damian added

"Shit" said Terry.

"Yeah" Damian replied, "Look here's the timeline….it's two years into Batman Inc and everything is going fine…then Bruce walks away from the Justice League because they found out and once someone on that space station finds a secret its not a secret for too long….and it inevitable ends up in the media"

"The people didn't know what to make of it, Batman Incorporated…..I mean there were a few reports of several Batmen but it was nothing concrete, just hearsay, but the media had an inside source and they found out"

"The public went insane"

"Just the opposite they sorta liked the idea, but they were split because nobody had really seen Batman's face….maybe a glimpse, but they didn't have a face to put to the idea"

"Let me guess…the old man gave them one"

"He gave them more than that" said Damian.

* * *

**3 years into Batman Incorporated- City Council Press Conference. **

"I am proud to say that I Bruce Wayne am a firm supported of the Batman. For years I have been funding Batman's crusade on crime and Gotham has prospered….so when he came to me with the idea for Batman Incorporated I was hesitant at first but eventually I saw this as the next step. As I look at all of you I can that you are in the exact same spot that I was in, you don't know whether to make heads or tails of this idea. I urge you all to take a look back at the last three years. Never before has our streets been so clean, never before has the level of crime be so low, and never before has it been so safe to walk the streets at night and that's all because of the tireless efforts of Wayne Enterprises and Batman Incorporated. Not only am I here to today to tell you of my support of Batman but also to show our latest invention…..I present to you all the Bat-Mecha" said Bruce Wayne holding his hand to the sky.

The gathered officials, news crew and ordinary citizens turned their eyes to the sky to see several flying mechanized bat robots fly into view and land on the ground next to Bruce Wayne. They were 6'7 bat theme robots.

"These mechas- will assist the police with rescues that maybe too risky for them to handle…also along with the bat-mecha and Batman expanding I present the bat-signals" said Bruce.

The gathered people looked up in the sky again as several bat signals shinned brightly in the night sky.

"Ladies and Gentlemen this is the beginning of a new era in the fight against crime"

* * *

**Arkham Asylum- **

Sitting in a large room with a singular TV all of the depraved criminals that Batman puts behind bars on a regular basis sat looking at the screen, shocked at what they were seeing.

"WHAT THE HELL! FIRST WE JUST HAD TO WORRY ABOUT 1 BATMAN NOW WE GOTTA WORRY ABOUT DOZEN PLUS ROBOTS!" one of the thugs in the room shouted, while standing up.

"HEY SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" shouted one of the guards in the room.

The thug grubbed to himself but ultimately he sat down.

"**HA HA**" came a sound, "**HAHAHAHAHA!**' came the sound again but this time it was recognized as a laugh.

**"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** came the loud laughter from the back of the room. All of the thugs, and criminals in the room heard the laughter but they didn't turn around because they knew who it belonged to, it belonged to the person that they all feared, the laughter belonged to the Joker, arguably the Batman's greatest foe. He was 6'2 with wavy green hair, green eyes, and chalk white skin. Around his mouth he had a grin, the skin from cheek to cheek was deeply scarred by what looked like self inflicted razor blades and his lips were ruby red. The Joker was laughing hysterically in the back of the room. He was wearing a straightjacket that had thick locks on the back. He was laughing and laughing loudly. The guards in the room quickly rushed over to him and grabbed him up, and began to direct him out of the room and back to his cell, but the sound of his laughing echoed behind him.

* * *

**Present **

"So he made it public that Wayne enterprise was backing Batman INC." Terry summed up.

"Yeah...as a way to ease the public into the idea…..and it worked. The people soaked it up, they loved the idea" said Barbara, "Well at least the people in the US did overseas they were a bit peeved but since it was Batman doing things in their country they had no legal standing to do anything to Bruce…so it was a win win I guess"

"What happened after that" Terry asked.

Damian and Barbara looked at each other and they both let out a collective sigh,

"McGinnis" Barbara started "For the next 2 years everything was fine….Batman inc was in full effect our numbers were large and everyone flourished but then something happened….and we had gotten too arrogant to really pay any attention to it, we all felt that we need to focus on keeping Batman Inc together….I mean that's how we justified it…." Barbara rambled.

"Slow down what happened" Terry asked again

"Well we don't know the full particulars of it or even the how…but, he …..The Joker, was being released from Arkham Asylum" Damian answered with a steely look in his eyes.

"What! Wait hold on….. you said he was released….he didn't escape" asked Terry with wide eyes.

"No" said Barbara "He was released with a clean bill of health…I read the report myself he was completely sane now"

"Bullshit" said Terry

"We thought so too, but we pressed that psychiatrist who signed the paper hard but he stuck to his story that the Joker was completely sane" Damian replied

* * *

**5 years into Batman Incorporated**

**CREAK! **went the sound of the gates of Arkham Asylum opening. Walking down the beaten brick path was the original Joker. He was dressed in a black trenchcoat looking jacket with black gloves, purple pants and black shoes. The joker made his way past the Arkham gates and he came to a stop. He took a deep breath and then put a smile on his scarred face. He turned around towards Arkham and when he did that something caught his eye, in the shadows on the top of the Asylum he made out the unmistakable horns, and cape of his enemy….Batman. The Joker's smile left his face as he looked at Batman hiding in the shadows; he held up his hand and flipped up his middle finger at Batman and his smile returned. The Joker blinked and Batman was gone.

**"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" **

* * *

**Present **

"Why didn't you guys go after him….I mean come on he's the joker" said Terry throwing up his hands.

"Yeah we should have gone after him, but we had to wait for him to do something first, even scum like him has rights in the eyes of the Law McGinnis" said Barbara.

"Plus as soon as he was released the Joker vanished" Damian responded.

"Vanished"

"Vanished" he repeated "Not a trace of him or Harley Quinn his right hand woman…they both just dropped off of the map"

"And you guys didn't find that strange" asked Terry with wide eyes.

"Of course we did McGinnis so we sent one of our own on his tail" said Barbara, but as she said it a flash of sadness flashed across her face. Damian was in his own world as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Who did you guys send" Terry asked again.

"Bruce sent Tim Drake after the Joker and Harley Quinn"

"Why would he do that….I mean why didn't Bruce go after the Joker himself I mean that is greatest enemy right" said Terry.

"Because at the time our attention was elsewhere….a shadow group calling themselves Leviathan was giving us some major headaches, while at the same time another splinter group was trying to target the UN so our attention was split. Plus during the 5 years Tim Drake had grown into one of the best damn fighters I've ever seen in my life" Barbara answered.

"I will never admit this again….but it's true. Next to my Father Tim was the best fighter out of us all. Dick used to Joke about how Tim might be Bruce's long lost biological son because Tim was like his spitting image…..a mini- Bruce Wayne if you will" said Damian

"Then what were you" asked Terry turning to him

"I was more of a mini-Talia Al Ghul" he responded

"Okay…..so what Tim Drake went after the Joker. So if he's this Super Fighter did he catch the Joker…did he kill him"

"No to both questions" Said Barbara "Bruce sent him on that mission and for a year he tracked the Joker and came up with nothing"

"He kept in contact with all of us, and the last transmition we got from him said he was heading to Australia because that's where he found a lead on the Joker."

"Were you guys still fighting Leviathan" asked Terry

"We were but she wasn't" said Damian

Terry turned to Barbara

"I was in the process of getting my legs back" she stated.

"Right you said that you were paralyzed….how did that happen" he asked.

"The Joker broke into my father's house, shot me through stomach which severely damaged my spinal cord and he kidnapped my Father and tortured him" she said with a hard gaze. The event she just stated was one that has haunted her to this day, for the most part she got over it, but still every now and again the event replays over in her mind. Terry looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and shock.

"My God…..I'm sorry that…" he started before she interrupted him.

"You can cut the pity McGinnis….it's…..it's in the past" she said swallowing hard.

"Why did he do it" asked Terry

"To try to prove a point….the only difference between the rest of society and him….is one really bad day" she answered.

"That's not true" stated Terry.

"Are you so sure about that McGinnis" asked Damian looking at him.

"Anyway…..I was getting my legs back when we got that last transmition from him"

* * *

**6 years into Batman Incorporated- Wayne Manor- Batcave**

Bruce Wayne was in his full Batman gear with his mask pulled back. He was standing over a medical table that had a coconscious Barbara Gordon lying on her stomach. Standing on the other side of the table was Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's confidant and Father figure. The two men looked at each other and then at the exposed back of their friend for the past 10 years or so.

"Alfred….the syringe" said Bruce.

Alfred nodded his head and reached over to a small table next to the bed with large syringe on it, he picked up the syringe and was about to hand it to Bruce when he addressed Barbara.

"Ms. Gordon…are you sure about this…I mean I know how much you want this but…" he started.

"Alfred….I thank you for your concern, but I've already made up my mind. I know there's only a slim chance of this working but it's a chance that I've been dreaming about since…..that day all of those years ago" Barbara replied with conviction. Alfred nodded his head and handed the syringe to Bruce. The Syringe in his hand was filled with the latest invention of Wayne Enterprises. A year ago Bruce had commissioned his research and science division to start working on a cure for paralysis, and his chief science director Lucius Fox came up with a possible cure, Nano technology. Tiny mini robots designed to repair the part of the body that is experiencing the paralysis.

"Master Bruce….tell me again how is this supposed to work"

"The nanites within this syringe will be injected directly into Barbara's spinal column…the nanites are designed to find the paralyzed nerves and replace them"

"Replace them how" Alfred asked.

"Lucius told me that the nanites will surround the damaged nerve and then linked together….and using their combined electrical currents to establish a new current through the nerve" Bruce finished, "But Barbara…I should warn you….this is excremental….and….I don't know what will happen" said Bruce.

"I know…let's do this" she replied gathering her courage.

Bruce nodded his head and he positioned the needle towards the center of her back. In one swift but powerful move Bruce jammed the syringe into her back.

**CRACK!** Went the sound of the syringe entering her spine.

"ARGH!" she grunted loudly. Bruce pressed down on the plunger and releasing the nanites into her spine. Barbara closed her eyes tightly and prayed to God that this procedure works.

* * *

The nanites gave small synchronized beeps as they crawled through Barbara's nerve endings. They crawled all over until they located a large bundle of nerves that were blackened and not giving off any electrical signal. They crawled towards the bundles and started to split up. Dozens of nanites surrounded the bundles and linked together and started to give off electrical charges.

* * *

Tingling, that's what she first felt, she felt a tingling sensation run through the center of her spine and it spread further all the way through her lower body. Barbara's eyes snapped open an excited sigh escaped her lips as she slowly leaned up. She turned her eyesight to her legs as the tingling became more pronounced, it felt like a thousand pens and needles in her legs…it felt like her legs where asleep. Tears of joy started to fall down her face, as she looked at Bruce.

"Is it working" he asked excited as well.

"I-I-I …can feel" she said softly "I CAN FEEL MY LEGS!" she shouted. Concentrating with all of her might, Bruce and Alfred looked in shock as they saw her big toes wiggly weakly.

"I CAN FEEL MY LEGS!" she shouted again in joy. Bruce let a smirk grace his lips.

"Help me up" she said. Bruce grabbed her by the waist and wrapped one of her arms around his neck and Alfred did the same thing on her other side. With a mighty hoist they pulled her off of the table and for the first time in a long time Barbara felt the cold cave floor with her bare feet, more tears escaped from her face as she felt the cold floor.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!.** Bruce looked over to the Bat-Computer.

"Incoming message" came the computer's voice. Bruce took Barbara's arm off of his neck and went towards the computer. He pressed a button and a large image of an the young adult Tim Drake aka Red Robin appeared on the screen.

"Tim" Bruce stated.

"Bruce hey….I'm just doing my routine progress report I think I've got a hit on the Joker in Sydney, Australia" Tim replied his voice had more baritone to it.

"Australia?" Bruce questioned "Do you know why he's there"

"No…but I'll be sure to ask him while I'm dragging him back to the states" Tim replied confidently.

"Tim this is the Joker expect….."

"The unexpected yeah I know, you don't have to tell me Bruce I know who I'm going up against" Tim said. Tim looked past Bruce and into the cave and he could see Barbara leaning against Alfred but he saw her moving her legs slightly, "Oh My God….Barbara….are you moving your legs" he asked shocked evident in his voice.

Barbara looked up at the computer and Alfred taking most of her weight helped/dragged her over towards the Bat-Computer.

"Yes….I am" she replied tears in her eyes.

"Congrats…..I knew you guys would find a way" he replied with a huge smile on his face.

"Good to know you had confidence because for a while there I wasn't too sure" she replied.

"She has a long way to go until she had full motion" said Bruce glancing at her.

"Well I'm sure once you get up and running Barb you can finally be out in the trenches again…..with us instead of just being the coordinator…need to leave that for the old man isn't that right Bruce" said Tim with a smile.

"I'll call the Wayne industries in Sydney and let them know you're coming by for a routine inspection that should give you some time to investigate….Tim again be careful and call me once you find him and I'll have one of my other private jets fueled up and ready for you to take once you've apprehended the Joker" said Bruce seriously.

"Bruce trust me when I say this…I can take care of myself…..just ask Shiva. If I can beat her I can handle the Joker…..Tim out" he said before the line went dead.

* * *

**Few Days Later- Sydney, Australia: 1:00 am**

Perched on the top of a building was Red Robin overlooking the city of Sydney. He had a smile on his face as he looked at all of the lights. So far he had been in the city for about a day and a half and everything in the city was relatively peaceful, which was a change of pace for Red Robin. The nighttime breeze passed over his dark wavy hair and he closed his eyes to enjoy it. Usually during the night the air carried screams of people in trouble, shouts of profanity from the nighttime dwellers but in Sydney, it carried nothing but alluring sounds from the Opera House, the sound of the tide from the water.

Red Robin opened his eyes and let out a sigh. So far he hasn't located anything concerning the Joker but he knew it was only a matter of time. It had been like this for a while, he would catch a hint of the Joker and he would go and investigate and find traces of him but never the man himself. It was a frustrating game of cat and mouse because never had the Joker been this quiet.

'_I hope I don't have to spend another 4 months in one city again….I wish he'd go ahead and make his move' _Red Robin thought. He let out another sigh before he pulled out a grappling hook, but just as he was about to fire it he heard a woman's scream.

"HELP ME!" a voice screamed through the silent night air.

"Hero Time" he said to himself as he fired the grappling hook in the direction of where he heard the scream.

* * *

Red Robin landed on the ground in the shadows to see a group of thugs hovering around a woman in a trenchcoat. He reached towards his side and pulled out a staff and gave it a slight jerk and it extended into his long Bo staff.

"HEY! How about you boys pick on someone your own size" came his voice stepping out of the shadow. The Thugs turned to him and they had their face spry painted white with red lipstick on their mouths.

'_The Joker strikes'_ he thought as the thugs rushed him. Red Robin waited for them to get close when he took a step and jammed his staff in the ground pole vaulted in the air flipping over them. He landed behind the small group and swung his pole hitting one in the back of the legs making them buckle and fall to his knees. Robin then kicked him in the neck hitting a pressure point knocking him out. Spinning around while swing his pole he hit two thugs in the mouth hard. He swung his staff upwards and hit the last Joker thug in the chin launching him in the air slightly before he came crashing down.

Red Robin smirked to himself on a job well done and he retracted his staff and hook it on his utility belt. He turned around towards the woman who had her back turned and was quietly sobbing.

"It's okay ma'am you're safe" he said softly walking towards her, "Here let me help you up" Red Robin continued, he laid a hand on her shoulder and quicker than he could re-act she turned with her hand raised and blew a cloud of green dust into his face.

"ARGH!" Red Robin gasped as he breathed in the green dust. He fell to the ground choking and gasping, he looked at the woman and his eyes widen in shock to see Harley Quinn, she threw off her trenchcoat to reveal her usual jester's outfit. She looked down at him and began to laugh.

'_S-Stupid_' Red Robin struggled to think chastising himself on his rookie mistake. The dust she blew in his face was making it harder for him to breathe and harder for him to stay conscious it felt as if someone was gripping his lungs in a death grip. He weakly tried to reach into his utility belt for a potential cure when Harley kicked his hand away.

"Uh Uh Bird boy" she said in a giddy tone.

'_No….'_ thought Red Robin as his eyes grew heavy and he passed out.

"Pudding we got em" she said in a sing song voice. From the shadows the Joker stepped out and towards the downed hero.

"**HAHAHAHAHA!** Well…now we can begin can't we Harley"

"Yep" she replied

"Put em' in the van and lets go" he said turning and walking away.

* * *

**Location Unknown**

**SPLASH! **Went the water as it hit Tim Drake aka Red Robin.

"Ugh…." He groaned, his eyes slowly started to open and his vision started to clear. Tim shook his head trying to stop the headache, but it only made it worse, his vision was now clear and that's when he noticed a few things, the first was that he was hanging by his wrist. He could feel the painful aches in his shoulder muscles and the metal shackles tightly bounding his wrist. Next he noticed that his costume was completely gone and he was completely naked, but he still had his mask on. The last thing he noticed was that he was surrounded by the thugs he had beaten up, after that he noticed that he in some sort of old metal fallout shelter, the metal all around the room looked rusted and crusty. Lastly and probably the most important thing he noticed was that while he could move his neck and his head and he could feel the rest of his body was sluggish to move to his commands.

'_Still drugged'_ he thought to himself.

**CREAK!** Tim's head shot up to the old metal door as it open and his heart started to beat a little faster because from the door in walked Harley Quinn and then after her in walked the man he had been chasing for almost a year now: The Joker. On the outside Tim was stoic, he had a mask of toughness on his face that showed he wouldn't be intimidated by the Joker but on the inside a cold shiver of fright ran up through his spine. The Joker had that smile on his face as he walked closer and closer to the young crime fighter. The Joker looked him over and the reached his gloved hand towards Tim's face and gripped his cheek.

"Are you just a handsome little devil" the Joker said gripping his cheek harder and then slapping him across the face. Tim didn't make a sound.

"Ahh he's brave" chimed Harley leaning on the Joker's shoulder.

"You know something bird boy…..I've known that you were following since the beginning"

Tim didn't outwardly show any shock but on the inside he was quite surprised.

"**HAHAHA** I'm a little disappointed that the Bat didn't show up himself, but I mean he does have other things to do…like Batman Incorporated" the Joker's smile grew just a little bit more as he took a step closer to Tim so they were staring each other in the eyes.

"And I'm sure you can tell me all about it….boy wonder" the Joker said in a giggling tone.

"I wouldn't count on it" Time replied speaking for the first time. The Joker's smile only grew.

"ARGH!" Tim grunted out. The Joker was staring him in the eyes so he didn't see when the Joker pulled out a small knife and stabbed him in side. The Joker twisted the knife ever so slowly and then he yanked it out.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**" He laughed "Where would the fun be in you just telling me what I want to know…..Oh boy wonder I'm hoping you don't say anything that way the Fun can last forever….Harley….my toys" said The Joker.

"Right away Mista J." She replied turning and walking out of the room. Tim gritted his teeth trying not to focus on the shooting pain in his side. He released a pain sigh and then directed his attention past the Joker to Harley who was backing into the room. She was rolling a rather large cart with a sheet over it. She grabbed the sheet and pulled it off to reveal an assortment of sharp knives, blunt and rusted metal pipes, a car battery, a crowbar and a video camera.

Tim eyed the cart and his heart started to pump faster and faster.

'_Gotta…get free….but whatever they drugged me with….having trouble moving….it feels like something Poison Ivy concocted'_ he thought trying his best to struggle but it was futile. Harley grabbed the Video camera and turned it on.

"And we're rolling" she said.

"Good evening Bats…you're now watching Joker's funniest home videos….and tonight's star includes none other than Robin...Harley get a close up"

"Gotcha Mista J" she replied zooming in on the hanging Tim.

"Back to me" Joker growled suddenly scarring Harley, she quickly directed the camera back to him and he put that sick grin on his face again. He walked towards the cart and he looked over the items and then his crazy green eyes landed on the crowbar. He smiled and grabbed the crowbar and then he looked at the camera.

"Bats…..I think you remember this little object don't you…..It looks like another Robin gets the crowbar**…..HAHAHAHAHA!"** he laughed. The Joker continued to laugh as he turned and ran forward with the crowbar aimed high. Tim could only watch helplessly as the Joker came running at him.

* * *

**Four Weeks Later- Bat Cave**

"KE-YAH!" shouted Barbara Gordon thrusting out a kick that was blocked by Bruce. They were both in the bat-cave in their workout gear sparring with each other. The Nanites injected into her spine were working remarkably. It was two days after the injection that Barbara could move her legs fully although they hurt a little because the years of inactivity but for the most part she could move them fully. As each days passed she'd do countless hours of stretches trying to get her legs back to tip top shape, trying to be like she once was, everyone had congratulated her on getting her legs back. The first person to know after Bruce and Tim was Dick, and for the first time in a long time they were able to hug each other again. When the first two weeks past and she started to get more range and motion in her legs, Bruce had offered to train her to get her back into fighting shape, but too his immediate surprise she hadn't lost a single step. Barbara retracted her leg and quickly crouched down and tried a sweep but Bruce flipped backwards and away. She quickly stood and charged forward and jumped in the air and tried a flying knee, Bruce crossed his arms and blocked the attack, Barbara continued her motion and put her hands on his shoulders and flipped over him. Bruce turned quickly with a backhand but she blocked which is what he was counting on, he grabbed her arm and torques his body and flipped her over his head. Barbara hit the mat with a thud but she didn't let that deter her she brought her legs up and wrapped them around his neck choking him. Barbara twisted her body to the side and brought him down to the ground on his right shoulder. Bruce struggled against her strong grip, he worked his arm in-between her legs and pried them off of his neck and quickly slid upwards until he was on top of her. Barbara wraps her legs around his waist holding him in place. Bruce raises his fist getting ready to punch her but as he comes down blocks it and locks his arm in an arm lock, Bruce quickly twist his wrist out of her grip and grabs her wrist and holds them above her head. The two stayed still for a moment breathing heavy and staring at the other and a smile started to creep on their faces.

Alfred walked into the Bat-Cave with a tray of food for them but then he saw them on the mat and he quickly turned around and walked out of the cave.

Bruce began to lean down and Barbara began to lean upwards but before their lips could meet, the Bat-Computer started to give off a loud beeping. Bruce immediately turned his head to the computer and disengaged himself from Barbara and walked over. Barbara let out a sigh of frustration, but stood up as well.

Bruce typed a few keys into the computer and a message popped up on the screen.

"What is it" Barbara asked.

"It's a message from Tim….he says that the Joker is planning something big and that I need to head to Sydney immediately and that he needs back up" Bruce answered seriously.

"If he needs back up send Dick and Damian aren't they in Japan right now…they can be in Sydney in a matter of hours" said Barbara

"You're right…they can give Tim the back up he needs until I get there" Bruce replied

"You mean until we get there" Barbara corrected.

"No Barbara you still need to take it easy you just got your legs back we don't know how long the nanites will continue to work….." Bruce started.

"Bruce this isn't your call I feel fine and the nanites are working great, this is my second chance and I'm not going to waste it, I've been inactive too long, now come on the more time we waste here the more trouble Tim is in" she said turning around and heading towards the Bat-suits where her Batgirl costume has been sitting since she got shot. Bruce smirked at her retreating form and then turned back to the computer he typed in a message that he's sending Dick and Damian to Sydney and that they'll be there in a few hours.

* * *

**Bat-Plane- Dick and Damian**

16 year old Damian Wayne aka Robin glanced over to his partner Dick Grayson aka Batman. Dick was currently staring out the window of the Bat-plane with a far away look in his eyes. He was thinking about Barbara and how she got her legs back. It was the most happiest he had seen her in a long time, the unbridled join in her eyes as she moved on her own. When Dick had dropped by the cave when Bruce had told him he could only stare in shock as she shakily walked towards him and hug him. A smile crept along his lips and he reminisced.

"What's that smile on your face about Dick" asked Damian looking at him.

"I'm thinking about Barbara and how she got her legs back" he replied his smile only growing bigger.

"Ah yes, Gordon. I'm happy for her but it's gonna take some getting used to I've only seen her one way and that's in that wheelchair. Is she a good fighter?" Damian asked.

"One of the best…..almost better than me" he said with a smile

"Oh…well then remind me to spare with her when we get back" Damian replied

**BZZZZZ **went his cell phone. Damian reached into a pocket on his costume and pulled out his cell phone and he read the text. He smirked and began to text something back. Dick glanced at him in curiosity.

"Who's that texting you?" he asked

"No one" Damian replied quickly a little too quickly.

"Was that your girlfriend?" Dick asked teasingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Damian said defensively

Dick had taken a notice a few weeks ago that Damian started to secretly text someone.

"So it is a girl….uh oh Little Damian is growing up"

"Dick you do know I have my sword on board this jet….I could kill you in a second"

"Come on spill what's her name" Dick said ignoring his comment.

**BEEP!** went the sound of the Bat-Plane. Dick looked at the computer and the route that they programmed and noticed they were flying into Sydney.

"We're here…buckle up. Bruce said there was a private hanger that we could stash the Bat-Plane into while we're here" he said taking the controls.

Damian sat back in their seat and was about to buckle up when it happened.

* * *

**Seconds Earlier- Sydney private airfield **

Standing on top of the private hanger was a shadowy figure garbed in a black raggedy hood, black pants and black boots. His arms were showing and they were chalk white and they had long and deep scars going across and all around. The shadowy figure turned his shrouded face upwards to the sky and he could see the Bat-Plane attempting to descend. He let out a sigh that sounded more like a laugh. He reached down and he pulled out an RPG and he aimed it at the descending jet and pulled the trigger. The RPG flew directly towards the cockpit.

* * *

**Bat-Plane - Cockpit**

**BEEEP! BEEEP! **

Dick looked at the computer and he noticed that something was coming their way, but it was too quick for him to maneuver.

"HOLD ON!"

**BOOOOOOOOM! **

The Bat-plane gave a violent lurch tossing both Damian and Dick out of their seats, they both hit the glass ceiling of the plane hard and then came crashing down.

"ARGH!...what the hell" groaned Damian. As the plane shook violently again. The plane began to wobble and twist in the air as the smooth and slow descent turned into a fast and turbulent one.

"WE'RE GOING DOWN!" Dick Shouted, trying to stable the plane but it was useless.

"Thanks…..for stating the obvious Grayson" Damian replied.

"The controls aren't responding….someone hit us in the right spot…..I've got no control" he said frantically.

* * *

**Down below**

The Shadowy figure reloaded another RPG and he pulled the trigger again. The RPG flew and hit and destroyed of the wings of the bat-plane.

* * *

**BABOOOOOOOM! **Went the sound of the wing of the being destroyed. Damian watched in horror as the wing separated from the rest of the plane. It lurched again but this time it began to roll.

"SHIT!" Dick and Damian yelled at the same time as they felt the plane begin to roll and as a result they began to roll around as well. They were violently tossed all around the plane.

* * *

**Down Below**

The Shadow figure grinned and then jumped off of the hanger just as the plane came crashing down into the hanger in an impressive show of flames and destruction.

**KABOOOOOOOOM BOOOOOOM BOOOOOOM! **

* * *

**Destroyed Hanger**

Painfully Two sets of eyes opened. One set belong to that of Dick Grayson and the other belonged to Damian Wayne. Both were worse for wear but still alive. The bat suit Dick was wearing was shredded and burned in a few areas and his bleeding flesh could be seen through the shredded areas. He had cuts all over his hands and a deep gash going across his forehead. Blood was leaking freely from the gash and into his eyes. He attempted to look around but a sharp pain shot through his neck.

"D-Da..mian….Damian" he called out. All he could see was smoke, small fires, and electrical wires giving off sparks.

"Here…." A voice called out. He carefully turned his eyes to the right to see a chair being pushed off of an equally bleeding and cut up Damian Wayne. His suit was torn as well. Damian had a thin metal rod poking through his calf, and he was bleeding from a long cut on his cheek.

"You okay" Dick asked

"No" Damian replied looking at him but then he quickly turned to a giant opening that the crash left in the private jet. Dick turned his eyesight to the hole as well and through the smoke the shadowy figure revealed himself.

"And they say Flying is still the safest form of travel HAHAHAHAHA" he laughed

"Who are you?" Batman asked but demanded at the same time.

"The new player for team Joker and he sent me here to give you a message" the shadowy figure said in a laughing tone.

"And what's that" Robin growled.

The Shadowy figure tossed a big black bag towards the two.

"Let the games begin…**HA!..HAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**" laughed the shadowy figure before backing up through the smoke and disappearing into the night. Damian crawled towards the bag and was about to open it.

"NO! It could be a trap" Batman yelled.

"If he wanted to kill us….that would've been the perfect time Batman….this is just a message" Robin responded unzipping the bag, but as he unzipped it he recoiled in shock.

"Oh my God" he whispered.

"What!...what is it?" asked Batman painfully crawling towards him and looking into the bag, "No" he started softly "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Batman roared in anger.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"What was in the bag" Terry asked with wide eyes. Damian rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"It was a burnt skeleton dressed in Tim's Red Robin outfit"

"Oh my God….."

"And that's not all…..there was also a dozen DVD's inside of the bag as well" Damian continued.

* * *

**Batcave- Under Wayne Enterprise- Australia**

Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne all stood still, rooted in their spots, unable to even form thoughts or words, and the reason for that is because they were standing in front of the Bat computer in the small Bat-cave watching the DVD that was in the bag that the shadowy figure gave to the now bandaged Dick and Damian. On the DVD's was the Joker ruthlessly torturing their friend, alley and brother Tim Drake aka Red Robin.

They all swallowed hard and clenched their teeth as the Joker beat Tim with a crowbar.

* * *

**DVD**

_Joker: HAHAHAHA! I played this game with your predecessor boy and it was fun then too HAHAHAH! FOREHAND!_

_The Joker swung the crowbar and the slammed it into Tim's mouth, _

_Joker: BACKHAND!_

_Blood flew from Tim's mouth and onto the ground and the Joker laughed and doubled his efforts. _

* * *

**Batcave**

None of them said anything, their eyes were glued to the screen, as each DVD played their anger and sorrow grew to new heights. The brutality went on for hours on end. Each DVD represented a day of the week for the past week.

* * *

_**DVD**_

_Joker: "__**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"**_

_Tim: "ARGHHHHH! AHHHH!"_

_The Joker had a blow torch and was burning Tim's back_

_Joker: __**"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**_"

* * *

**Batcave**

Bruce balled up his fist in red hot anger as he saw what the Joker was doing to his protégé…..to his son. Everyday it was different, burns, electric shocks, but then on the last DVD, something made his blood run cold. It made everyone's blood run cold.

* * *

_**DVD**_

_The Joker walked towards the brutalized Tim Drake and he took his Red Robin mask off. He grabbed Tim's bloodied face and he studied it for a long minute. He slapped Tim hard, making the eye that wasn't swollen shut flutter open. _

_Joker: "Who is Batman?" _

_Tim: "….." _

_The Joker pulled out a Knife and placed the sharp tip on Tim's left cheek and he dragged it slowly along the side _

_Tim: "AHHHHHH….ERGH! ARGH!" _

_Joker: "Who is BATMAN!" _

_Tim: "…ah….ah…ah…." _

_The Joker placed the knife on the other side his face and dragged it along his mouth_

_Tim: "ERGHH! AHH! BR-UCE WA-YNE!" _

_The Joker stopped what he was doing and looked at Tim in absolute shock. _

_Joker: "Say that again" _

_Tim: "B-Bruce….W-Wayne….is Batman" _

_Joker: **"HAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!**__" _

_The Joker continued to laugh as he pulled walked out of view of the camera. After a few seconds he returned with a gun and he held it close to Tim's head. He turned to the camera and he smiled and pulled the trigger. _

_Joker: "See ya soon Bruce…..__**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_

_**KRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!**_

* * *

**Batcave- Australia**

**KRZZZZZZZZZZZ! **went the sound of the DVD ending.

The four stood still staring at the blank screen, neither knowing what to say. They had just witnessed the death of one of their own by the man that they all knew very well; the man who over the years has put a lasting impression on all four of them, but with this final and heinous act, the Joker had forever cemented himself into their minds.

"Vendetta" Damian stated softly breaking everyone from their stupor. Barbara and Dick turned to him and he turned to them with hate in his eyes, "VENDETTA!" he shouted angrily, "All of these years we've been wondering whether or not we should kill that bastard….well this…this right here is our answer" he growled, looking at them, "GODDAMN IT!" he shouted kicking the computer in the anger.

"Son of a bitch" Dick growled in anger as well balling up his fist. He couldn't help but agree with Damian, the Joker had crossed a line, a line that needed to be repaid in full, "I know it goes against everything that we stand for but…this is too much….he killed Tim. I agree with Damian" Dick said in a low voice.

"What are we gonna tell the others" came Barbara's voice still looking at the screen in absolute sorrow.

"Nothing" came Bruce's voice, the three turned to him in slight shock, they couldn't read his facial expression but his body language spoke volumes. He was beyond angry as well.

"What do you mean nothing" asked Barbara with raised eyebrows, she quickly wiped away a tear that had formed in her left eye and turned to him fully, "We have to tell the others…they deserve to know"

"No. It would cause a panic, the Joker now knows who I am…which means he now knows who all of you are and it probably won't take him long to figure out everyone else's Identity…..it would cause a panic and we will start to crumble from within…I will not allow that to happen we've all worked to hard to build this up just for it to fall now" he said.

"You don't know that Bruce" said Dick

"I do Dick…the Joker has garnered a reputation of fear, just the thought of him knowing the true identity of Batman is enough to spread fear in the hearts of those we're working with" he replied

"SCREW BATMAN INCORPORATED! WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THE JOKER! He can not get away with this" Damian shouted.

Bruce walked forward and pressed a button on the computer, there was a loud munching sound coming from within the computer.

"Disc have been deleted" came the computer's voice.

"What are you doing" asked Dick

"No one can know about this…no one but us" he said looking at them with a serious look "And as for the Joker…..we do what we always do" Bruce started before reaching behind his neck and pulling on his mask, "We find him" he growled out. Dick, Barbara, and Damian pulled on their masks as well.

"Everyone give me moment alone" said Bruce. They nodded and left the area and headed towards Bruce's Bat-Plane. Batman watched them go and made sure they were out of ear shot. A small sigh of sorrow escaped his lips. He leaned against the computer for support.

'Tim…..this is my fault' he thought to himself. After a second Batman straightened up and went to a lab table that was a few feet away from the computer and on the table was the burnt skeleton that was in the bag. Batman went over to the table and he looked at the scanner.

The scanner had finished its biological scan and the words that popped up shook him to the core. On the scanner screen it read: DNA confirmed Timothy 'Tim' Drake-Wayne. Batman balled up his fist and slammed it on the scanner in anger breaking it. He then unhooked his cape from his costume and wrapped the burnt skeleton inside of it and gently picked it up.

Batman then carried the covered skeleton out of the bat-cave and toward the Bat-Plane.

* * *

**1 Day Later- 1:30 am- Gotham Cemetery **

Batman, Batman, Bat-Girl, and Robin stood over a plot of land that was a bit further away from the cluster of graves in the front of the cemetery, they more towards the back of the cemetery next to a large oak tree. They each cast a glance at the wrapped up skeleton that was a few inches away from them, while gripping the shovels they were holding just a little bit tighter. Wordlessly they each shoved their shovels into the plot of land and began to dig.

To try to pin down the exact feeling that was running through the gathered heroes would be next to impossible, but the closest word in the English dictionary would have to be surreal. It felt they were in a horrible dream or nightmare that they couldn't wake up from, now matter how hard each of them tried to convince themselves that this was not happening all they had to do was cast a glass the wrapped up skeleton inches away from them. For people like Barbara, Damian and Dick who wear their feelings on their sleeves you could see the anguish within them each time their shovels dug a little bit deeper into the ground. For Bruce however who has never been one to outwardly show what he was feeling was bursting at the seams with anger. The three could see it in his rigid stance and the way he was gripping his shovel, they knew that once they found the Joker something was going to happen but they just didn't know what. For a good hour or so they kept digging until they felt it was deep enough, once they finished digging Bruce got out of the hole. He walked towards Tim's body and picked it up and brought it back to the hole where he handed it to Dick who took the body and gently placed it in the hole. Dick, Damian, and Barbara looked at the body one last time before getting out of the hole. Now that they were all out of the hole they wordlessly began to fill the hole with the dirt they had dug out.

Another hour past before the four dropped their shovels and looked at the fresh grave. No one said anything for a long minute, just silence and the cool breeze.

"This is wrong" Barbara stated turning to Bruce "This is wrong"

"What happens when people start to ask about him" Dick asked "Cassandra, Stephanie, the Titans….what do we say"

Before Bruce could answer the bat-signal shined brightly in the sky, but neither of the four moved from their spots. They stood there looking between Tim's grave and bat-signal.

"Come on" said Bruce in a low tone, turning and walking away from the grave. Dick, Barbara, and Damian hesitated for a long second before slowly following after him.

* * *

**Gotham Bank**

Batman, Batman, Bat-girl and Robin landed on the ground next to Commissioner Gordon making him jump slightly.

"What's the situation Jim" asked Batman

"The Joker in there and he's….." started Commissioner Gordon before Dick and Damian charged forward.  
"BATMAN! ROBIN! WAIT!" shouted Bruce running after Dick and Bat-Girl was right behind him.

* * *

**Inside the Bank**

**CRASH!** Went the sound of the bank door being kicked open. Batman and Robin stood there at the entrance staring at the Joker who was covered in blood. There about 15 people in the bank at first glance and they were all dead, and he was standing in the center of all the carnage just smiling. Batman and Robin were soon joined by Batman and Bat-girl.

"OH GOODY! The whole family is here **HAHAHAHAHAHA!**!" he laughed

"YOU SONUVA BITCH!" shouted Batman and Robin at the same time charging forward. The Joker stood his ground with that smile on his face and waited; as the duo neared him he spread his hands and held up his chin. Batman reached him first and delivered one of the most devastating blows to the Joker's face. The Force of the punch made the Joker's face ripple slightly before he was sent tumbling back and to the ground.

"**H-H-H-A**…oh…..**H-H-H-A**" the Joker groaned/laughed. Robin jumped high in the air and brought his knee down onto the Joker's chest. He grinned in slight satisfaction as he felt the snap of a rib.

"ACK! **H-H-H-A…..HA-HA**" he continued to laugh.

"Stop it" growled Robin grabbing him by the front of his clothes, "STOP LAUGHING!" he shouted head butting the Joker in the mouth knocking out three teeth in the process, but the Joker didn't stop laughing he only laughed harder. Robin stood up and yanked him to his feet and tossed him towards Batman who delivered another punch that sent the Joker twisting and then to the ground again.

Batman and Bat-girl stood by and just watched both didn't know what to do, Bruce and Barbara had to admit to themselves that they were receiving some satisfaction seeing Dick and Damian mercilessly beat Joker within an inch of his life, after watching that DVD and the joy that passed across the Joker's face as he brutalized Tim, he would get to do the same by watching his other sons beat him. As he watched though a feeling of doubt crept up into him, he knew this was wrong. This is what the Joker wanted, for them to beat him and kill him, he wanted to corrupt them. Bruce turned to the right when he felt Barbara's hand on his shoulder. She had tears in her eyes but he could see that the same thought was running through her mind as well. Bruce balled up his fist and he balled it up tight.

"STOP!" he shouted.

Batman who was holding the Joker by one hand stopped his fist as soon as he heard his father/mentor's voice.

"Stop" Batman said softly walking towards them.

"WHAT!" shouted Robin turning to his Father "What do you mean stop….he deserves this….He murdered….."

"I KNOW!" Batman roared at his son, shocking him slightly "I know who he murdered…but this is what he wants…he wants to corrupt us"

"We have to be better than him" came Barbara's voice.

"**HAHAHAHAHAH!**...oh…..N-No….Let….em'…go, We're hav-ing too much fun" came the pained voice of the Joker, "M-Much….m-more fun….than…the other….b-boy wonder" he continued.

Bruce growled in his throat and grabbed the Joker out of Dick's grasp and shoved him into the wall.

"I should break you in two" He growled raising his fist getting ready to punch the already battered, bruised and bloodied joker.

"Oh…B-Brucey Boy….i-if you wanted to….h-have that much fun….you would've done it years ago…but you just can't d-do it can you" The Joker rasped out, "You just can't kill me…..y-you know for a second I thought Bat-light over there was actually g-gonna do it…but I-I see he's a chip off of the old self-righteous b-block…..you're n-no better than m-me…we're b-both a little un-hinged….and…." The Joker started before Batman's grip tightened on his throat stopping him from talking and stopping him from breathing.

"Ugh….d-do…it" came the Joker's light rasp glaring into the eyes of Batman "DO IT!" he roared staring into his eyes.

"BATMAN!" shouted the voice of Commissioner Gordon. Bruce turned slightly to the sound of Jim Gordon's voice and then he turned back to the Joker who was smiling. Batman's grip slackened, he grabbed him by the front of his clothes and he swung him around and tossed him roughly to the ground in front of Commissioner Gordon's feet. The officer's looked down at the beaten Joker in a mixture of shock and pity. They could tell he must've really angered Batman. The officers all looked up to see the group of Bat themed individuals had disappeared.

* * *

**Bat-Cave- Later **

Bruce, Dick, Barbara, and Damian all arrived inside of the Bat-cave via the Bat-plane. They jumped out and they each slowly pulled off of their masks and made their way down the stair case. Alfred was in the cave tiding up slightly when he saw them, he was about to say something but the look in their eyes stopped him. Alfred had once been a soldier, so he could recognize the looks that crossed their faces. Shame, sorrow, anger, hurt, pain, and remorse. As each member passed the looks became even more pronounced.

"Master Bruce what…." He started.

"Later Alfred Later…could you please excuse us" he said turning to his faithful butler. Alfred nodded his head and proceeded to make his way out of the Bat-Cave.

Damian was walking past a table and when he suddenly lashed out and kicked it knocking it over and spilling everything that was on it.

"Damian" started Barbara

"NO! SHUT UP BARBARA! GODDAMN IT! WHAT MUST THAT MAN DO TO FINALLY MAKE YOU END HIM!" Damian shouted at his father, "HUH! IF WE WOULD JUST KILL HIM….."

"Then what Damian….if we kill him then we won't be better than him" Bruce countered just as angrily

"YES WE WILL BECAUSE IT'S JUSTIFIED! THE JOKER KILLS MERCILESSLY WITH OUT CARE! THAT'S WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT WE DON'T KILL WITHOUT CARE WE KILL TO SAVE! IF WE WOULD'VE KILLED THE JOKER YEARS AGO WE COULD'VE PROBABLY SAVED THOUSANDS! TIM BEING ONE OF THEM!" Damian roared.

"We're not the judge and Jury Damian" Barbara said in a low voice.

"How are you defending this" came Dick's voice turning to her, "I hate the idea of killing as well but I have to agree with Damian on the subject of the Joker. This man…no this animal doesn't deserved to be classified among the rest of the scum that we beat on regularly. How many people could we have saved if we would've just ended it years ago? If anyone deserves to die it's him….look at what he's done….he killed Jason, He paralyzed you….killed thousands of people, corrupted even more and now he's killed Tim…I hate to say this but you made the wrong call Bruce" said Dick strongly. Bruce looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at the two.

"This conversation is over….go home and get some rest. You're not thinking clearly. Killing is the number one rule that I laid down before I started this…to go against that is to go against everything that I stand for…..we stand for"

"..….do you think Tim would agree with you?" asked Damian boring into the eyes of his father. A pained look crossed his father's face for a second before he turned and went towards the Bat-Computer and sat down in the chair.

"This is Bullshit….complete and utter BULLSHIT!" said Damian before turning and heading towards the Batmobile. Dick cast Barbara a look before he turned and followed after him. Barbara watched as the two got into the batmobile and sped off and out of the cave.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"Damn….that was some argument" stated Terry looking at the two of them.

"Yeah" Damian whispered, "But that's not the end of the story though McGinnis…it gets worse" he stated.

"Worse than that" he replied "How?"

"The Joker may be insane but damn if he isn't a master planner…a master tactician and manipulator" commented Barbara, "He wanted us to find him that night at the Bank. He wanted to see what we'd do and we played right into his hand. He knew Bruce wouldn't kill him…..he was counting on it actually" she continued.

"That doesn't sound good" said Terry

"That's because it isn't good McGinnis….the Joker wanted us to catch him and put him into Arkham and once we did that none of us could have predicated that…" he started before stopping.

"Predicted what?" asked Terry anxiously

"None of us could have predicted that by sending the Joker to Arkham Asylum, it would be the beginning…..of the **End**"

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review: **** Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. I told you all that this would be a dark chapter and I'm afraid that it only gets darker as you read the next part of the Fall of Batman. Now I know you readers hate cliffhanger and I do as well, but I had to break this chapter up, because again there is just so much stuff being thrown at you the reader that you may need two chapters just to process everything that's going on. So this is just the first part and I promise the second part is coming out soon possibly end of this week if I have enough time. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, I really hope you readers are, and remember this chapter is kinda the deciding factor for me if I want to do a sequel because there are a few things that are spinning out of chapter that's gonna be present in a sequel. So again review (a writer's fuel) and then meet me back here for the next chapter in Batman Beyond volume 1. This is Nomad88 saying Later….**

**Ps: I'm gonna finish out the Fall of Batman and then Secret Warriors is up for update, so everyone whose waiting on that story just be a little bit more patient. This is me saying until next time. **

**Next up: The Fall of Batman part 2 **


	16. The Fall of Batman part 2

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS. I repeat I DO NOT OWN CHARACTERS. They in fact belong to DC, DC is the owner, and they in fact deserve ALL OF THE CREDIT, not me. I am in no shape or form making any money off of this story. No money is being exchanged or handed to me, so having said that please find it in your heart to not sue me. I have no money….really I don't….honestly…..now on with the story. **

**Hey Readers it's me back with the second part of my Fall of Batman arc. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far, so all that's left to say: Read, Review (A writer's Fuel), and of course enjoy…**

* * *

**Chapter 16: The Fall of Batman part 2**

**Present Time: Wayne Manor**

"Beginning of the End…really" came the voice of Terry McGinnis looking between Damian and Barbara. Terry could see the hurt in their faces as they relived the memory that they were telling him. Barbara let out a sigh and went towards the spot on the couch next to him and sat down. She put her hands to her face and let out another pained sigh before glancing at him and then at Damian.

"Yes it was. By killing Tim the Joker had created a rift between the four of us"

"He drove a wedge between right down the middle" Damian added "At the time that we needed each other the most"

"What did you guys do?" asked Terry

"What"

"What did you guys do after that argument, all of you must have been in a bad place after that whole incident" said Terry.

"Well….let's just say that we each found our coping mechanism to deal with Tim's death" Damian replied.

* * *

**Flashback: BatCave**

Bat-Girl pulled her mask back to reveal the face of a younger Barbara Gordon. She stood rooted in her spot watching as the Batmobile sped off and out of the cave. She cast a sad glance at her feet and then turned to Bruce who was sitting in his chair brooding as usual but this was no ordinary brood though. This was the brooding of a man that had gone through a terrible loss, the death of his son. Barbara slowly made her way over to him and leaned against the Bat-computer and glanced at him. He didn't look at her he just continued to stare downwards angrily.

"We….We made the right decision didn't we" Barbara asked, swallowing hard, "We stopped them from making a huge mistake…right"

"Yes" Bruce stated

"Then why do I feel so shitty…..Why do I feel like…." She started but couldn't finish, she closed her eyes tightly trying to block out the images from the DVD but she couldn't, they were forever cemented in her mind. After a long minute Bruce turned to her and gazed at her with his steely blue eyes.

"The truth is Barbara in this situation….there is no right decision….there is only the lesser of two evils. Consider the choices presented to us…we could either A: Kill the Joker and allow him to have the last laugh of corrupting us and all that we stand for, or B: Send him back to Arkham where every breath he takes is an insult to us and to Tim" Bruce said with a hard voice. Barbara glanced at his fist that he had balled up so tightly she could hear the leather crunching inside of his fist, "I….we…chose the lesser of two evils"

Barbara looked downwards at her feet again and she shook her head indicating that he was right. In this situation there was no right or wrong, they both were bad choices, but one was slightly less evil than the other, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. Another long moment passed between the two before Bruce spoke again.

"Barbara…..I would like to be alone right now" he said to her.

"Bruce…I don't think any of us should be alone right now…We…."

"Barbara…..please" he said again. She looked at him and wanted to protest, but seeing the look in his eyes, she couldn't. She nodded her head and pushed off of the Bat-Computer. Barbara then pulled her mask on and headed towards her Bat-cycle, she swung her legs on the motorcycle and she started up the engine. She cast one more glance at Bruce who had gone back to brooding.

"If you need me….call me" she said before twisting the handles and speeding out of the cave, leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts.

Solitude was one of the thinks that Bruce has always enjoyed, by nature he was a person that just enjoyed being alone but tonight was one of those rare nights where being alone was not in his best interest. Sitting alone with his thoughts Bruce couldn't help but think about Tim, about the first time they met, how he trained him, and eventually adopted him. Thinking about all of those good times brought a slight smirk to his lips, but then just as the good times came rolling the bad crept began to creep in, and the bad thoughts took the form of the crazy and psychotic Joker. The laughing, the taunting, the sheer disregard for life, first he killed Jason Todd the second robin after Dick and now he's killed another one. As he thought about that he began to think that maybe he did make the wrong the decision.

'_No. I can't let him win. But…..Tim'_ he thought to himself closing his eyes and sinking down in his chair in depression.

* * *

**Elsewhere: Wayne Tower**

Located beneath Wayne Tower was a batcave that was the central hub for the duo Batman and Robin.

**BADOOOOM! **Went the sound of the underground doors slamming open. Through the opening the batmobile rode through and came to a stop. The doors opened and out stepped Batman and Robin, they slowly and quietly pulled off their mask to reveal the faces of Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne. Both were still in their own little world, after the argument with Bruce and Barbara, they had hopped in the car and rode off, on the drive home neither said anything, just stone cold silence which is a big thing for the two of them because they lived to just bother the other, but no jest were made, no sounds were uttered, just….silence. Dick and Damian walked towards the elevator that would take them to the penthouse on the top floor of Wayne Tower.

* * *

**Top Floor- Wayne Penthouse**

**DING!** Went the elevator. Dick and Damian stepped out and into the large and spacious penthouse that they've been sharing for the past six years. They each heaved a heavy sigh and proceeded to walk away from each other still not saying anything. Damian stormed off to his room, while Dick started to take his Batman gear off. He unclipped his cape and tossed it to the ground, he then took off his chest armor and tossed it to the ground in a heap leaving himself bare chested. He sat down on the couch and ran his hands through his hair

**CRASH! BANG! CLANG!** Dick's head shot up at the sounds, but he relaxed when he heard them coming from Damian's room. Dick was about to get up to stop him from destroying his room but, he decided against it, he felt the same way as Damian.

"SON OF A BITCH!" came Damian's voice over the sound of glass shattering. Dick leaned back on the couch and tried his best to be strong but tears found their way to his eyes. Dick let out a quick sob before he rubbed his eyes and rubbed the tears away, but despite his best efforts they came back.

"Tim" Dick said in a low voice, almost like a whisper.

* * *

**Damian's Room**

"ARGHHHHH!" He shouted in raw anger tossing a chair into the wall denting the wall in the process. Damian's room was completely trashed; broken items littered his floor, his mattress flipped over and the wooden head boards completely broken. His dresser with his expensive clothes lay overturn on the ground with his items sprawled out. Windows and mirrors smashed and broken, Damian with his eyes full of tears and rage grabbed hold of his desk and with all of his might he tossed it across his spacious room where it tumbled across the ground loudly.

Damian wiped his eyes and saw that there was nothing left to destroy in his room so he stormed into the bathroom. He glanced at the large mirror and he looked at his reflection. His eyes were red and tears were rolling down his face staining his cheeks, seeing his reflection he quickly wiped his eyes again. Suddenly though his reflection warped and changed into that of the Joker, who was pointing at him and laughing, laughing with all of his might. Damian balled up his fist and looked at the crazed clown in anger, and despite him not being there he could hear the laughter loud and clear.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" **

"SHUT UP!" Damian roared cocking his fist back and striking the mirror shattering it, "SHUT….UP! YOU….Stupid…cl-clow…." He started to say before he sank to his knees in sadness. The tears he had been trying to hold back flowed freely from his eyes. For the first time in a long time Damian Wayne cried. He cried for the loss of his brother…Tim Drake-Wayne. Tim and Damian started out hating each other, but over the years as they both matured and grew into young adults they began to respect one another and finally love one another, just like brothers. He didn't know how long he sat there on his knees crying his eyes out, it had to have been at least an hour or so, but Damian didn't care, he didn't care one bit.

**BZZZZZZ BZZZZZZ** went his cell phone. Damian was broke from his sadness by his cell phone, he reached into his utility belt and he pulled out his badly cracked cell phone. It was damaged when the Bat-plane crashed. He looked at the phone and saw that someone was calling him. He looked at the name and he answered.

"Hello" he answered curtly

"Hey"

"What is it?" asked Damian

"Is that anyway to greet your girlfriend" came the voice on the other end.

"…"

"Damian…what's your malfunction" the voice asked.

"I….I need to see you" Damian said suddenly

"…Well boy wonder…you're in luck…..the others are out. They are enjoying the night out at the movies and what not…..I didn't want to go"

"Good. I'll be there in 20 minutes" said Damian hanging up the phone. He wiped a few more tears away from his eyes and he stood up.

He quickly made his way out of his bathroom, making sure to wipe the glass off of himself; he walked through his destroyed bedroom and back into the main room.

* * *

**Main Room**

Damian exited his room and his eyes caught those of Dick Grayson. His eyes were red also, and had just the same amount of pain and anger his own held. Dick quickly wiped his eyes.

"I'm going out" Damian said.

"Where?" asked Dick

"OUT!" Damian shouted back storming through the living room and towards the elevator.

The Elevator doors opened and out stepped Helena Bertinelli aka the Huntress, she was dressed in her Huntress outfit but her mask was off. Helena and Damian looked at each other and then she smiled.

"Hey short stuff where's the fire" she asked in a playful tone.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Damian shouted shoving past her and stepping onto the elevator. The doors closed and the Elevator began to descend.

"I really hope he's not turning into a brat again" said Helena turning to Dick, but she saw the haunted look in his eyes, and his overall haggard appearance, "Hey are you okay" she asked in a concerned voice going over to him.

"No" he replied in a whisper before grabbing her and pulling her into a hug. Helena was slightly shocked by his sudden show of affection, but she didn't press it at the current moment she simply hugged him back.

* * *

**Batcave**

Damian stepped off the elevator and he quickly put on his mask. He walked over to his Robin-cycle and he got on. He started up the engine and gave it a mighty revv, before zooming out of the Batcave and into the underground tunnel that would lead him to the main road.

* * *

**Dick and Helena**

Dick stood there hugging Helena for a long minute before he disengaged himself from her. He slowly walked past her to a section of the wall where there was a light switch, he flipped the switch on the wall and a section of the wall turned around to reveal a small mini-bar that he had installed without Bruce knowing, but Dick knew that his mentor probably already knew about it but just didn't say anything. When Dick was younger Bruce's rule about fighting crime was that you could never drink, smoke or do anything to ruin your body or temple as he called it. Bruce had instilled in him the idea of being at peak physical level and for years Dick abided by that rule but as he got older and started to break away from his mentor/adoptive father he started to form his own ideas and thoughts and he believed that an occasional drink wouldn't hurt.

"Wow" said Helena walking over and looking at the secret bar. Dick grabbed two glasses and poured a stiff drink into the glasses. He grabbed one and then handed it to Helena who took it and looked at him.

"Why are we drinking?" she asked looking at the drink. Dick took his drink and downed it in one gulp. The liquid burned the back of his throat and he savored that feeling, because that burning sensation was a completely better feeling than the one of sadness that had been dominant in him for the past day and a half. He set the drink down and poured himself another one and then looked at Helena. Helena Bertinelli was a one time flame of his, they had an immediate attraction to the other and a few times they acted on that attraction but while Helena wanted to get serious Dick at the time was still carrying a torch for his one true love Barbara Gordon, a fact that still stings Helena to this day but not as much as it used to.

"We are drinking in order to get drunk" he replied gulping his drink down.

"What's wrong Dick, there is something going on here…since when do you drink. Does Batman even allow you to drink?"

"Helena…right now I don't feel like talking about Batman or anything, right now I feel like getting drunk so either A: you can get drunk with me, or B: you can leave…" he said refilling his glass.

"Well, when you put it like that Dick…" she started before gulping her drink down and then slamming it down on the counter next to his glass, "Fill me up"

Dick glanced at her and smirked, if it was Barbara she would've kept pressing to keep talking, but that's where she and Helena differed. Helena knew that there was a time for talking and a time to….drink. Dick refilled her glass and then his own and at the same time the two heroes tossed them back.

* * *

**Barbara Gordon**

Bat-Girl aka Barbara Gordon stood in the backyard of her Father's house. She stood in a darkened area under the large tree in the yard. The tree that for years she would climb up and down in. She stood looking at her father sitting at the kitchen table all alone eating.

'_Today is the day'_ she thought to herself. Barbara had promised herself that she would one day tell her father everything about her double life, but as the years went by she continuously kept putting this little talk off, but after what happened to Tim and now that the Joker knows Batman's true identity she realized that anything could happen to her at any moment, so instead of putting this off she decided to face it head on. She took a deep breath and expertly made her way to the back door without being seen. She put her key into the knob and opened the door.

* * *

**Inside the House**

Commissioner Jim Gordon looked up in wonder as the back door lock clicked open and it opened on its own. His hand quickly went to his holster with his weapon, but just as he reached his weapon his eyes landed on Bat-Girl.

"BAT-GIRL!" he exclaimed looking at her, "What are you doing here" he asked, while standing up.

Bat-Girl closed the door behind her and looked at him with a sad smile; she reached up and pulled her mask off of her face.

"Dad" she said softly.

"BARBARA!" he shouted in shock and with wide eyes.

"Dad" she said again rushing towards him and hugging him with all of her might. As she hugged her father the tears began to flow from her eyes again. Commissioner Gordon heard his daughter sob and cry.

"Barbara what is wrong…..and…how long have you been Bat-girl…and….and" he started before Barbara broke her hold.

"Dad…..after the night I just had I plan on telling you everything, but for now I just…..I just need you to hug me" she said to him. He nodded his head and wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her.

* * *

**Damian**

Robin aka Damian Wayne made his motorcycle come to a stop in the middle of an empty and dark road. He held his up head and he looked at the Tower in shape of the letter T in the horizon. Sitting off the coast on the very very far edge of Gotham was none other than Titans Tower…home to the Teen Titans. All of the Robins except Jason Todd has served on the Teen Titans. The Titans were a team of super powered youths that banded together to fight and protect Jump city which was the next city over from the coast. The Titans were a way for teen heroes to train to become adult heroes and for the adult heroes to keep an eye on them. The Original Teen Titans where: Robin- Dick Grayson, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy, and of the original, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy still hung around to train the younger recruits. Every year there would be a new batch of teens for the Titans to train.

Robin looked at the Tower and revved up his motorcycle again and sped down the street towards the road that would take him to the tower.

* * *

**Titans Tower**

Robin came to a stop and then got off of his bike, he activated the cloaking device on his bike and in an instant it disappeared. He looked up at the top of the building and pulled out his grapple hook and fired. It latched onto the edge and he was pulled upwards.

Robin landed on the top and made his way towards a secret entrance that only he knew about and he entered the Tower.

* * *

**Inside Titans Tower**

Robin landed on the plush blue carpet inside the Tower. The whole Titan's building was funded by some of the more well off members of the Justice League, wealthy members such as: Batman, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman, plus a few others. Robin stealthily walked down the hallway and as he walked he looked at some of the photos on the wall of past Titans and one photo in particular caught his eyes. It was the photo of a younger smiling Tim Drake who was Robin at the time. Damian looked at the photo and he felt his sadness and anger creep up again. He balled up his fist and proceeded forward towards his destination.

Damian came to a stop in front of a door and he took a breath and then without even knocking he touched the pad and went inside.

* * *

Damian stepped inside of the room and he immediately received a quick kick to the head.

"ARGH!" he grunted tumbling to the side and into a dresser. He shook his head and cleared his vision in time to roll out of the way of a sword plunging through the dresser. Damian immediately got to his feet as his assailant swung the sword towards him. He held up his arms and used the sharp fins on his arm to block the sword. He then hooked his fins on the sword and gave a tug and ripped the sword from his assailant's hands and then delivered a kick to the stomach.

The last kick gave them some space, Damian then got a look at his attacker, it was a girl about his age maybe about a year older, and she was 5'10, with long white hair, even skin, vibrant blue eyes, and a smile across her beautiful face. She had a lean and toned athletic build and was wearing a black and orange form fitting armor.

"I see someone has been practicing" came her playful husky voice.

Damian didn't respond he just kept looking at her.

"What's the matter you're usually more talkative boy wonder" she said looking him over.

"Are you going to talk Rose….or are you going to fight" he replied charging forward with a punch that she easily block.

Damian's girlfriend was Rose Wilson aka Ravager. Rose was the daughter of famous assassin and soldier Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. From the time she was able to walk her father began to train her and indoctrinate her in the ways of an elite assassin. She was 9 years old when she took her first contract to kill. As the years went by and she began to age she got tired of being an assassin, and it was one particular mission that she ran into the Teen Titans who were trying to stop her and her father from killing a political figure that was doing a campaign in Jump City. The Teen Titans were able to get to her and with their combined efforts managed to stop her father, who was sent to prison. Ever since then she's been on the team. She had met Damian about 3 years ago and they instantly hated each other but at the same time they were attracted to the other, especially since they shared so much in common. Both were trained to be assassins and both were trying to be better than what they were trained to be. It was only recently that they admitted their attraction and began to date, secretly of course.

"HA!" shouted Rose striking Damian in the face, Damian spun around and landed a spinning back fist to her face. Rose took the blow and then crouched and swept him off of his feet. She cartwheeled and then landed on top of him straddling him. She raised her hand and threw a punch, Damian blocked it with an X block and then twisted his hands and grabbed hold her wrist and pulled her off center. He then punched her twice in the side and then bucked his hips and rolled over so he was on top of her. He grabbed her by the front of her costume and he raised a fist in the air getting ready to punch her in the face but he stopped when he saw her smirking at him.

"Someone is in a bad mood today" she said studying him. Rose quickly brought both her hands up and clapped them over his ears.

"ARGH!" he shouted letting her go, she grabbed him by the front of his costume and then pulled him forward into a head butt that knocked him back and to the ground. Damian rolled over but that was a mistake because Rose jumped on his back and wrapped her arm around his throat and began to chock him.

"GAH!" he gasped.

"You should never fight someone like me when you're angry Damian…you make mistakes" she whispered in his ear, "Mistakes that will cost you your life"

Damian struggled against her grip and in a show of will of strength he began to stand up, Rose began to choke him harder but he pushed through and to his feet. Damian's vision began to swim but he had enough energy to briskly back peddle right into the wall denting it.

"OOOMPH!" Rose grunted, her grip loosened considerably, Damian grabbed her by her costume and flipped her over his shoulder and to the ground, but at the same time she brought her foot up and kicked him in the head. She then brought her legs up and wrapped her feet around his head and torqued him forward. Damian went flying forward and to the ground in a heap, he rolled over on his back and let out a long breath.

"Ugh" he groaned, while staring up at the ceiling. Rose appeared within his vision and smirked at him as he laid on the ground breathing hard.

"I win" she stated while slowly bending down and straddling him again. She leaned down and hovered over him, he could see that she was breathing hard as well and she was still smirking at him.

"Well…..we got that out of the way…..now we can get to the real reason why you're here" she said leaning down and kissing him. As their lips met electricity surged through the both of them, and that spark was all it took. Damian immediately responded and the two began to kiss more passionately and with more fervor, Damian's feelings of sadness and anger melted away as he lost himself in Rose's lips. He pushed up and then rolled so he was top, Rose snaked her feet around his legs as they continued to kiss. Damian broke the kiss and removed his mask and then his arms guards; and while he was quickly removing his clothes Rose was doing the same thing. Damian practically ripped his chest armor off before he leaned down and captured her lips again.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"Coping" Terry repeated.

"Yeah" Damian replied thinking about how he dealt with Tim's death.

"So Bruce sunk deeper into depression and solitude, you got hot and heavy with your girlfriend, Dick got drunk and you told your dad everything about you being Bat-Girl" Terry summed up

"Like I said we all have our coping mechanisms to deal with grief" said Damian.

"How long did you guys grieve" asked Terry.

"For about a 1 year and half….that's how things went for us...Bruce and my father were the only people I could really talk to"

"And Dick and Rose were the only two people I could ever really communicate with" Damian said.

"Did you ever tell her what happened to Tim before?" asked Barbara

"No….I never spoke of what happened to Tim until…..you know after everything went down"

"I never got the chance to tell about my Father about Tim….all he knew was that the Joker knew our identity" said Barbara in a low tone

"Why not?" asked Terry

"He was murdered" she stated

"McGinnis we limped on for about a year and half because that's when two things happened the first was that a few people started to get curious about Tim and it's also when the Joker made his move"

"Made his move"

"Yeah" Damian answered "Look we were all pissed at each other which is what he wanted but while we were pissed at each other we all agreed that we would keep an eye on the Joker from now on….so everyday for that whole year and a half together we would all check in the Joker to see if he was still locked up and not a day went by when he didn't taunt us" said Damian

"But while our attention was so focused on him…..his plan to ruin Batman was being carefully planned out and when it hit….it hit us hard" finished Barbara.

"How did it start?" asked Terry turning to her.

"First it started by Arkham Asylum blowing up" she replied.

* * *

**7 and ½ years into Batman Incorporated- Nighttime **

Batman, Batman, Batgirl, and Robin stood perched on a wall that was right next to the Joker's cell in Arkham Asylum. The four of them stood ever vigilante watching him, and he was doing the same to them, just sitting on his cot in his white cell watching them. The heroes each clenched their fist tightly when they saw that smile creep along his face; he raised his hand and gave them all a wave.

"That's it….I'm gonna Kill him" said Damian producing a red batarang.

"Put it away" Bruce stated. Damian looked at his father with slight contempt but after a few tense seconds he put the batarang away.

"Every breath he takes is an insult" Dick said anger evident in his voice.

"We can't cross that line Dick" came Barbara's voice turning to him "If we kill the Joker…..where will it stop. What if we run into another villain like him are we gonna kill him too"

"Gordon you are working off of assumptions…..there is no one else like the Joker" Damian shot back.

"The ends never justify the means" said Bruce interrupting them.

"This coming from you" Dick replied "Bruce you've done some questionable things in the past to not only catch the Joker himself, but also other villains"

"Dick" Barbara tried to sooth, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Save it Barb….I mean come on…...just off the top of my head….I remember you've hacked the US Satellites, I remember you turned every cell in Gotham into a sonar GPS, and I also remember seeing you use a gun against Darkseid and you've done all of these things in the name of the ends justify the means" Dick said angrily.

"Dick stop it" Barbara demanded

"No I will not stop it Barb…I want to know why you would go against your rule to use a gun against Darkseid…but you won't go against the rules to kill the guy that killed your son….our brother"

"And besides who would really miss the Joker if he was gone" Damian added

"We don't kill Dick" Bruce replied stoically still looking at the Joker.

"You're a Goddman hypocrite you know that"

"Dick stop…..this isn't you, I can smell the alcohol on your breath" Barbara whispered to him. He looked at her and was about to say something, when a certain loud laughter could be heard. Dick, Barbara, and Damian slowly turned their heads back to the Joker who was pointing at them and laughing….laughing loudly.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..HAHAHAHAHAHA!"** he continued to laugh.

"What the hell is he laughing ab…" Damian started before it happened.

**BABOOOOOOOM KABOOOOOOOOM!** Went the large explosion that rippled throughout the whole Arkham Asylum. The wall they were standing on crumbled like paper and they all were sent crashing to the ground.

**BOOOOOOM!**

* * *

"Argh" grunted Robin pushing himself up. He looked to his side to see his father, Dick, and Barbara pushing themselves up as well.

**BOOOOOOM!** They covered their eyes as another section of Arkham Asylum exploded in a shower of fire and bricks.

"AHHHHHHH RAHHHHHH!" came the screams and shouts of not only the prisoners but the guards as well. The four vigilantes looked up at the crumbling Asylum and immediately began to rise to their feet.

"BATMAN! ROBIN! SECURE THE PRISONERS! BATGIRL WITH ME!" Bruce shouted rushing towards a giant hole that lead inside the Asylum, Batgirl, Batman and Robin followed closely behind him.

* * *

**Batman and Robin**

Dick and Damian took a sharp left once they entered the Asylum; they were heading towards the main Penitentiary where the majority of the prisoners in Arkham Asylum were held.

The Asylum gave another shudder as another explosion rocked it to the core.

"How much you wanna bet the Joker is behind this" commented Robin as they turned a corner to see several prisoners out of their cells, some were running trying to get out others were assaulting the guards and grabbing their weapons.

"At this point I believe he's behind everything that's bad" Batman replied running towards the inmates with the guns. Batman threw a punch that connected with the inmates jaw at the same time he grabbed the man's wrist and knocked the gun out of his hand. Robin jumped in and kicked two inmates in the chest while throwing a red batarang at the hand of another inmate who was trying to reach for a gun that was on the ground. The Dynamic Duo made short work of the inmates that were trying to draw weapons on them. Once the last of them were down Batman helped the guard to his feet.

"Thanks Batman"

"No Problem

**KRZZZZZZZ **"ALL HANDS! TO THE REC ROOM ITS A MAD HOUSE OVER HERE!" shouted a voice over the guard's radio

"Let's go Robin" said Batman running down the hallway.

* * *

**Batman and Batgirl**

"IT'S THE BAT! WASTE EM!" shouted an inmate who had taken a weapon off one of the dead guards on the ground. Batman and Batgirl both at the same time tossed several batarangs at the weapons knocking them to the ground. Batgirl charged forward and delivered a knee to the face of one of the inmates not stopping there she flipped in mid air and landed and then delivered an elbow to another inmates face. Batman stood his ground as three inmates charged at him; with lighting fast precision and strength Batman disable his attackers. He lashed out with a thrust kick knocking the middle inmate back and to the ground gasping for air, he dodged an over head strike from the man to his left, he grabbed him by the back of his clothes and used him as a shield to block the attack from the other inmate. Batman elbowed the man in his hands in the neck knocking him out and then spun around with a spinning back fist and struck the last inmate in the jaw knocking two teeth out and rendering him unconscious as well. Batman dropped the man in his arms and then looked at Batgirl who had knocked out her last opponent. The two walked forward and towards the door that was at the end of the hall. Batman opened the door and walked into the cell of the Joker.

* * *

**Inside Joker's Cell **

"BRUCEY BOY! SO GOOD OF YOU TO VISIT!" he said in a joyous voice with that same sick smile on his face. Batman lunged forward and grabbed him by the front of his straightjacket, lifted him up and shoved into the wall as hard as he could.

"What have you done" Batman growled at him.

"Y….ACK!...You'll…have to be more specific **HEHEHEHE**" he laughed despite the fact that Batman was choking him.

"I know you're behind this…AREN'T YOU!'

"Oh Bruce I love how your mind always drifts to little old me when Chaos starts to happen but I have no part in this" he smiled.

**BOOOOOOM!** Went another explosion the cell they were in gave a shake

**KRZZZZZZZZ** "Hey where are you guys we need some help over here in the rec room" came Dick Grayson's voice over their communicator.

"Uh oh….looks like your first Robin needs some help….you might want to lend him a hand because you know what tends to happen to Robins when you take your eyes off of them…they die **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** The Joker laughed. Batman growled and then punched him in the face knocking him out. Batman then wrapped the Joker up in one of his grappling lines and then turned to Batgirl.

"Let's go" he stated walking out of the cell.

* * *

**Outside Arkham Asylum**

"EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!" shouted a prisoner as they made a mad dash for the open gates of Arkham Asylum that had been blown open. A few of the prisoners glanced back to see the top portion of Arkham Asylum cave in and crumble. Among the Prisoners making a run for the exit was Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy was running away from the Asylum, she exited through the gates and when she did that a van screeched into view. The back doors opened and Harley Quinn stepped out.

"Hiya Red Need a lift" she said

"Harley" Poison Ivy gasped but she quickly got over her shock and jumped into the van. As she entered the van she could several other people inside the van but she paid them no mind as she closed doors. The van then sped off and out of sight just as the cops started to pull up to the scene.

* * *

**Rec Room **

Chaos was an understatement; Mayhem could accurately describe what was happening in the rec room. Inmates ran rampant some beating up guards and the other desperately trying to escape the crumbling Asylum. Batman and Robin were doing their best to keep the inmates from killing the guards but the sheer number of them was overwhelming.

Batman delivered an uppercut to an inmate lifting him off of his feet and off of the guard that was on the ground. He helped the guard up and gave him back his weapon.

"There are too many" Robin commented throwing a batarang attached to some wire, the wire wrapped around several inmates effectively tying them up.

"Keep fighting" Batman replied

**BOOOM!** went the sound of one of the walls being blown out. Batman and Robin used their capes to shield themselves from the dust and smoke. Through the hole out stepped a venom powered Bane.

"BATMAN AND ROBIN!" he yelled before running forward, he barreled through several inmates before he reached them and grabbed both of them by the neck and slammed them into the wall.

"UGH! ACK!" Batman and Robin gasped out feeling Bane's grip on them.

Suddenly a Batarang flew into view and sliced through the green tubes that supplied the venom into Bane's system.

"RAH!" Bane shouted as the flow of venom to his system was suddenly cut off. He dropped Batman and Robin and turned to see Batman and Batgirl standing a few feet away. He growled and proceeded to charge, but they both dodged out of his path. Bane's venom was spewing everywhere and his muscles began to shrink. He turned to face the heroes when a section of the roof caved in and fell on top of him, pinning him down. The four ran over to him to see that he was still very much alive but he was hurt pretty badly.

"KILL EM'" came a loud voice. They turned to see some inmates with weapons aimed at them, in tandem they all threw quick batarangs and knocked the weapons away. The four then charged at the inmates.

* * *

**Several Hours Later**

Night had fallen before the four vigilantes made their way out of the destroyed Arkham Asylum. Batman, Batman, Batgirl, and Robin walked out of the Asylum each carrying a tied up inmate over their shoulder, the courtyard was filled with inmates either on their knees in chains being guarded by police or on a makeshift cot receiving medical attention. They walked towards the medical side and placed them on the ground hoping to find a cot for them soon.

Commissioner Gordon made his way over to them.

"GET A MEDIC OVER HERE!" he shouted, "Was that the last of them" he asked.

"The ones that are alive at least" Robin replied.

"Is the Joker still in custody" asked Batman.

"Yes, I have 6 of my guys doing nothing but guarding him. He's not going anywhere until we figure out what the hell happened here" Commissioner Gordon replied

"While we were inside I was able to anylize an area of one of the explosions" Batman stated.

"And" asked Commissioner Gordon.

"And we'll find whoever's responsible for this" Batman replied.

Commissioner Gordon let out a sigh and then rubbed his eyes, he was about to say something when an officer called his name.

"Commissioner Gordon"

"What is it" he asked turning around.

"Sir…the Joker said he needs to speak with you" the officer replied.

Commissioner Gordon scrunched up his face in confusion and then he glanced at Batman and then at Batgirl. He then turned back and began to walk over towards several officers who were standing off to the side and guarding the Joker and he was closely followed by Batman, Batman, Batgirl, and Robin.

* * *

**Few Miles away **

A white van was parked on one of the many old bridges in Gotham City. The back doors to the van where open and inside the van was a familiar shadowy figure garbed in all black. The figure was sitting in the back of the van with a powerful sniper rifle in his hands. The shadowy figure adjusted the scope on the sniper rifle until the image of Commissioner Jim Gordon became visible. The shadowy figure watched through the scope as Commissioner Gordon made his way to the Joker who was sitting on his knees. The figure raised the rifle until the crosshairs was dead center on Jim Gordon's forehead; he then reached up towards his ear and pressed the earpiece in his ear.

* * *

**Arkham Asylum**

"What do you want Joker?" asked Commissioner Gordon in a gruff voice looking down at him in disgust. The Joker gave a short laugh before looking past him and at the bat themed people behind him, his eyes centered on Batgirl and he smiled ever so cruelly before locking eyes with the Commissioner again.

"Tell me something Gordon" he started "Ever Dance With the Devil in the Pale Moonlight?" he asked with a sick grin

"Wha…..

**ZIP! **

Batman, Batman, Batgirl, and Robin all recoiled in shock as blood suddenly splattered and hit all of them. A tense second passed before Commissioner Gordon feel down to the ground dead in front of them. Batgirl's eyes widen in shock and misery as she looked down at her father to see a large walnut sized hole in his head.

"D…ad" she started weakly seeing him lying there dead, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed falling down towards him and grabbing him.

**"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** laughed the Joker hysterically.

* * *

**Van**

The shadowy figure gave out a slight laugh before quickly setting the charges inside the van. The figure then climbed through the front window of the van and to top of the vehicle, and then jumped off the top and over the bridge into the water below. The figure then swam away.

* * *

**Arkham Asylum**

"GET A MEDIC OVER HERE!" shouted Batgirl with tears in her eyes.

Dick tapped his cowl and a thin lens slipped down over his eyes, he looked at the dead Commissioner Gordon.

**BEEP! BEEP!** "Scanning complete tracing trajectory of the shot fired….trajectory located" came the message over his lenses.

Dick reached down and pressed a button on his gloved hand and then he pulled out a grappling hook.

"ROBIN! LET'S GO I'VE TRACED THE TRAJECTORY OF THE SHOT FIRED!" he shouted quickly. Robin wasted no time in pulling out a grappling hook. They both looked to the sky to see the Batwing flying over head. They both raised their grappling hooks to the sky and fired, the lines hooked onto the wing and they were pulled away.

Bruce watched them go and then he looked down at Barbara and then at his friend Commissioner Gordon.

"**HA! HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** came the Joker's laugh. Batgirl slowly looked away from her dead father and at the laughing clown. Batman let out a growl of anger and then lunged at him; he picked him up by the scruff of his shirt and punched him over and over and over and over again, but as each punch landed the Joker laughed even harder.

Several officers ran and grabbed Batman trying to restrain him.

* * *

Batman and Robin landed on the ground a few feet away from the parked van. They cautiously approached the vehicle just like they had been trained, both pulled out batarangs just in case someone tried to surprise them. They each took a side of the van and at the same time they both looked through the windows to see no one in the front seats, they nodded and proceeded to make their way towards the back. Batman and Robin grasped the handled of the back doors of the van and they counted to three and opened it at the same time. They saw the snipe rifle but they also saw dozens of sticks of dynamite with a timer that was reaching one. The Dynamic Duo gave a collective gasp before quickly diving to the ground.

**BABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Went the van as it erupted in a shower of flames and debris.

After a second Batman and Robin lifted their heads to see the burning van and they both knew that they weren't going to find any clues since the van had been destroyed.

* * *

"**HAHAHAHAHA!"** the Joker kept laughing as Batman's grip on his loosened and he fell to the ground. Batgirl turned her angry gaze to him just as he opened his eyes again to look at her. He stopped laughing hysterically for a second and it turned into just a giggle, "Looks like daddy dearest won't be around to save you" he said to her.

Batgirl reached into her utility belt and grabbed a knife that she kept on her and made her way over to the Joker. She grabbed him by the front of his straightjacket and she held the knife high.

"Come on I want you to do it, I want you to…I WANT IT I WANT IT!...Come ON! DO IT! DO IT!" he shouted at the top of his lungs bore his crazy green eyes into her angry green ones.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"You should've ended it there" said Damian, "He deserved it"

"I know…God I wanted to so badly" Barbara whispered, "But….I couldn't…..I couldn't cross that line either" she said in a low voice.

"What happened after that…did you guys find the shooter?" Terry asked shifting in seat slightly.

"No. Dick and I did everything by the book and we didn't find one trace of evidence as to who was the shooter"

"But that didn't stop me..." said Barbara

* * *

**Past- Gotham Cemetery**

"Ashes to Ashes….Dust to Dust" said the Priest standing over the grave of one Commissioner Jim Gordon. The casket began to lower into the ground. Standing around the grave in black suits and dresses were Barbara Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne. Along with them there were the Birds of Prey, Kate Kane and the rest of the Gotham City PD. They all were gathered to pay their respects to one of the greatest police officers they had ever had the pleasure to work with; everyone gathered in some form or fashion has had contact with the late Commissioner.

Barbara watched solemnly as her father was lowered into the ground. She glanced up and turned to the right she saw Bruce, Dick, Damian, and Alfred all with their heads lowered but a steely look in their eyes, she then glanced to her left and she saw her other family the Birds of Prey: Dinah Lance, Helena Bertinelli, Zinda Blake, Dawn Granger, Hank Hall, and Charlotte Gage-Radcliff. Dinah lifted her arm and wrapped it around Barbara's shoulder, relishing in the fact that she had friends to support her. She closed her eyes for a brief second before they opened again with a hard stare.

'_I'm going to find who did this….even if it kills me'_ she thought to herself. Bruce turned his head towards her and saw the look in her eyes.

* * *

**Later that Night: Black Gate Prison**

Once Arkham Asylum exploded all of the remaining prisoners were transferred over to the other prisons throughout Gotham, but one prison in particular….Black Gate Prison is where they held the viscous and psychopathic criminals. Batgirl landed on the roof of the prison and she snuck in through the ventilation system.

* * *

**Joker's Cell **

The Joker was sitting on his cot humming to himself when his cell door was thrown open and there standing in the doorway with an angry expression on her face was Batgirl.

"Oh a visitor" The Joker said happily

"RAH!" she shouted lunging at him angrily, she grabbed him and shoved him into the brick walls, "WHO DID IT" she growled

"**HAHAHAHAHAHA!** Who did what little girl?"

"WHO KILLED MY FATHER!" she roared slamming him into the wall

"Hmmmmm…..correct me if I'm wrong but I think it was a bullet to the brain that killed him….I don't dunno you're the detective remember **HAHAHAHAHAHA!"** he laughed. Batgirl growled and then tossed him into the wall as hard as she could. She then began to kick him over and over in the stomach, but everytime she kicked him he laughed and laughed.

"BATGIRL!"

Barbara stopped her foot and turned to see Batman standing at the door.

"What" she snapped

"Stop it" he said

"Why he did it…I know he did…..he's responsible" she replied angrily.

"I know…..I know he played a part in Jim's death but you're not thinking clearly….if you keep this up you will kill him"

"Would that be so bad" she asked softly looking down at his smiling face.

"She's right Bruce…..I've been a bad boy…..I need to be punished **HEHE!"** he smiled through bloody lips.

"I have a lead that could possibly lead us to the person that pulled the trigger" he said. Batgirl looked up at him.

"Di…Batman and Robin said they scanned everything and they didn't find anything" she replied

"I analyzed the bomb residue from Arkham Asylum I believe that whoever blew up the Asylum was working with who pulled the trigger. I found traces of an explosive compound that only several people have been known to use"

Batgirl turned to him and she briskly walked towards him and then past him.

"Let's go" she stated.

Batman watched her go and then he turned to the Joker who was staring at him with a smile on his face.

"Thanks for the save Bruce….for a second there I thought she was going to kill me….its a good thing you were here to protect me again. **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**' he laughed. Batman balled his fist and turned and slammed the prison cell door shut ignoring the echoing laughter.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"For weeks Bruce and I searched hi and low but we never found out who actually pulled the trigger….never found another clue. I was devastated" said Barbara

"I'm sorry" Terry replied looking down.

"It wasn't until later we found out the true nature of the Arkham Asylum explosion" came Damian's voice.

"Wait don't tell me….it was a distraction, so the real goal wouldn't be found out" stated Terry turning to Damian

"Well look who's finally found his brain" Damian replied

"Asshole" Terry said under his breath

"The prison break was designed to break out several key people. Poison Ivy, Deadshot, Killer Croc, and Victor Zsaz" he stated.

"Who are they" asked Terry

"Dangerous people" Barbara replied, "You remember we told you while we were busy morning for Tim, being angry at each other, and watching the Joker his master plan was be carefully and meticulously planned out"

"He was building his own army McGinnis" Damian said,

"Let me guess…this is when the first Jokerz gang started to appear"

"Right" said Barbara.

"And it wasn't just here in Gotham, but everywhere we had Batman Inc people there were splitter Jokerz gangs popping up and they started in the prisons and then just spread outward"

"And all of this was happening right under your noses" said Terry

"We were so angry at the Joker that he was the only thing that consumed out thoughts" Barbara replied.

"Master planner" Terry stated

"Damn right" replied Damian

"So….how did it all go down" he asked

"It started shortly after I gave up searching for my Father's killer…." said Barbara

* * *

**Barbara Gordon's apartment**

Barbara was sitting on her couch in her apartment in the dim light with her head held low. Tears were rolling down her face, but they were mixture of sadness and some happiness.

**CREAK!** there was a slight sound and Barbara's head shot up to see Batman standing a few feet away from her. She quickly wiped her eyes and then looked back at him.

"Barbara….I'm sorry, the trail has gone cold" he stated

"I know" she replied, "We've exhausted every possible lead….the killer is in the wind"

Batman pulled back his mask to reveal the solemn face of Bruce Wayne. He walked towards her and he sat down on the couch next to her.

"…..Bar…" he started before she interrupted him.

"I received a letter today" she stated holding up a letter to his face.

"From whom" he asked taking the letter.

"My Father" she replied

Bruce looked down at the letter and he began to read it:

* * *

'_To my dearest Daughter, _

_Barbara if you're reading this letter it means….well, it means I'm dead, and that is… very disappointing, primarily because I won't be able to see you continue to grow into the beautiful woman that I know you were meant to be. But while it's disappointing that I am dead it's also alright because in the time that I was on this earth I was able to watch you grow into the beautiful woman that you are now. I was able to get to know you and with what you told me about you being Batgirl I was able to get to know the whole you. I have to admit that when you told me your secret I was upset, I was upset at you and I was upset at Batman, but…..as I continued to listen to your story on how being Batgirl made you feel….. my anger soon turned joy. While I don't agree with you dressing up and jumping across rooftop and putting your life at risk….I am nevertheless, proud of all of the good you have done over the years. I truly am proud of you Barbara never for a second forget that. I know my death may be sad for you but do not let it get you down; don't stop living your life. I urge you find happiness, just know that I'm in a better place…I'm with your mother again. I died a happy man Barbara, happy that I was able to do the work on this earth that I was meant to do and I was happy that I was able to raise a daughter whose only goal in life is to help others….and I pray that you continue to help others in your own unique way of course. Your mother and I will always be watching over you and we will always…..ALWAYS….Love you". _

_Sincerely, Your Father Jim Gordon. _

* * *

"It's beautiful" Bruce stated folding up the letter and turning to Barbara.

"I know" she replied turning to him, "When my mom died I was too young to really grasp what was going on, but now that my Dad's dead I have to ask…..Does it get easier"

"No…..it doesn't" he stated, they turned away from each other and looked at the ground. Neither knew how long they sat their in their own little world but it didn't really matter they were each lost in their thoughts about the good times they shared with their respective parents and then their thoughts drifted towards their sudden death.

"It's getting late I should Go" Bruce said standing up, he started for the window, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Bruce wait" Barbara said softly. He turned around to face her, "I…..please stay….I don't want to be alone tonight"

"Bar…" he started

"Please" she repeated again stepping closer to him. They were standing very close to each other and they could feel the other's breathe on their face. Slowly they leaned forward until their lips met in a kiss. Barbara reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her bringing them closer. Their kiss began to intensify slightly and Bruce effortlessly picked her up and carried her over to the couch where he laid down on top of her.

* * *

**Elsewhere: Location Unknown.**

"Okay Harley…here's the last of the toxin" came the voice of Poison Ivy.  
"Thanks Red…Mista J sends his regards" Harley replied looking at the large vat of toxins that Poison Ivy made for her.

"Harley I have to ask…for weeks I've been making this stuff, what is it for?" she asked

"I don't know if I should tell ya Mista J said its top secret but….what the hell since we're such good pals I'll let you in" replied Harley turning to Ivy "Mista J is finally gonna do it"

"Do what?"

"He's gonna kill Batman"

"Ha Please he's been trying for years…hell we all have but somehow that man always comes out on top" Ivy replied

"Nope, not this time….this time we've got a secret weapon" she said with a smile.

**RING! RING! RING!** Went Harley's phone. She turned to the phone that was on her table and she skipped to it.

"Hello Harley Quinn here" she answered

"Quinn….we're at the location"

"Zsasz…..begin and remember to hit the record button" Harley said before hanging up and turning back to Ivy, "Listen Red thanks for all of the help…your money is over there in the briefcase…..we should hang out and celebrate" Harley continued as she walked over to a chair that had a camera on a tripod set up in front of it.

Poison Ivy walked over to her briefcase full of money and grabbed it, she then looked at Harley as she pressed the record button and began to talk into the camera.

* * *

**Argentina- House of Millionaire Santiago Vargas**

Santiago Vargas aka El Gaucho was the 'Batman' of Argentina. He stood at 6'1 with dark medium length hair, even dark complexion with a very thick mustache. He had a burly build but he wasn't overly muscular. Santiago was a representative of Batman Incorporated throughout the South America district. He was already known throughout the area as El Gaucho, he had earned a reputation of being very resourceful and a fierce fighter of Justice. The drug cartels and gangs all feared him and hated him, so when Batman approached him for the position of being in Batman Incorporated he accepted because he had heard of the Batman's reputation as well and he felt honored that he considered him worthy to join his crusade.

Santiago entered his vast and expression Mansion and he quickly made his way through the halls passing his servants and maids. He walked towards a closet that was at the end of the hallway. He entered the closet and closed the door, Santiago reached up and pulled the light switch and the section of the floor he was standing on gave way and fell through and landed on a platform. The platform recognized his weight and proceeded to go downwards. As the platform went down, a smile passed over his face. Underneath his mansion was the central hub for his El Gaucho identity, his own version of the bat-cave. Inside the Gaucho cave was his motorcycle, his giant computer and other equipment he used to bring law to the lawlessness. Also inside the cave were his recruits that he had been training, other individuals that he had come across in his crusade that feel just like he felt and wanted to help. He smiled as he saw them all training diligently, sparring against each other, they ranged from male to female and from early 20's to late 30's.

Santiago stepped off of the platform as it reached the bottom and he made his way over to them. They all stopped instantly and turned to him.

"El Gaucho"

"As you all were" he replied. They nodded their heads and turned back to training with each other.

* * *

**Outside the Mansion**

Victor Zsasz stood in front of the Mansion with a smile on his face.

'I'm going to enjoy alleviating these people of their lives' he thought with a smile. He glanced behind himself to see a group of people all wearing Joker themed outfits and white paint on their faces and red lipstick on their mouths. He gave them a nod and then turned back to the mansion. He reached into his orange pants pockets and he pulled out a small handheld device. He opened the device and on the screen a in depth layout of the entire mansion could be seen. Zsasz pressed a few buttons on the handheld device and the words downloading flashed across the screen.

**BEEP! BEEP!** Zsasz smiled as the words Security disabled and disruptors in place, flashed across the screen. Zsasz then put the handheld device back into his pocket and the reached down towards the ground and picked up a gas mask and placed it over his mouth. He turned to see that the rest of his crew had done the same.

"Let's go" he said in a giddy tone making his way up towards the house.

* * *

**Inside the Mansion **

**KNOCK! KNOCK!** Went the sound of the door. One of the servants turned to the door and began to make his way towards the door and just as he gripped the handle the door was pushed open. The servant was knocked to the ground and in rushed Zsasz and his crew of jokers. He quickly bent down and stabbed the servant through the neck with one of his long blades. Once he did that two of his Jokerz members tossed several cans into the mansion and they rolled across the ground. The cans burst open and a green mist of gas spewed out. The other maids and servants stopped what they were doing and tried to make it to one of the security buttons that El Gaucho had throughout the mansion. A few of them were able to make it to the buttons but now matter how hard they pressed the security alarms would not go off. The maids and servants started to cough from the gas, suddenly as they each got a sniff of the gas they felt their movements begin to slow down until they could move at all, they were frozen in their spots.

Zsasz smirked and then made his way towards the hallway, he walked down the hallway until he came to the last closet. He opened the door and he looked down and he scrunched his eyes, it was faint but he could make out the cracks of a trap door. Zsasz stepped out of the way and he pointed towards the closet. The men in joker theme outfits carrying more gas canisters in their hands stepped forward and into the closet and placed them on the trap door. Once they finished Zsasz entered the closet with them and he shut the door. He reached up and he pulled the light switch and the trap door opened.

* * *

**El Gaucho Bat Cave**

El Gaucho had just finished putting on his gear when he heard a loud clang sound. He and the others turned their eyes upwards towards the platform because it sounded like it was starting to lower.

El Gaucho eyes widen as he saw a quickly approaching cloud of green mist seeping into his training area.

"COMPUTER ACTIVATE SECURITY MEASURES!" he shouted, but his computers did respond to his commands, "COMPUTER!" he shouted again, but it was too late the green gas rapidly spread throughout the training area, El Gaucho and his trainees sniffed the gas and immediately could feel themselves beginning to freeze in place.

"I…C-Can n-ot….m-ove" El Gaucho struggled to say. His eyes darted around and they landed on the platform that was carrying several individuals. He watched as the individuals fully entered his underground cave and began to walk around. The green gas began to disperse and dissipate and once that happened the men took their mask off. Zsasz smiled and made his way over towards El Gaucho.

"You must be the Gaucho…..oh I've been told so much about you" he said.

"W-Who….." Gaucho struggled to get out but his mouth was frozen.

"SHHHHHHHHHH…all will be revealed in due time….YOU THERE!" shouted Zsasz at one of the men dressed in the Joker outfit with a duffle bag over his shoulder, "SET IT UP!"

The thug nodded his head and took the duffle bag off of his shoulder and set it on the ground. He opened it and took out a tripod and a camera and began to quickly sent it up and turn it on.

"We're rolling" he said.

"Good….you boys know what to do" Zsasz replied turning back to El Gaucho. The thugs nodded their heads and made their way towards the frozen recruits in the training area.

Zsasz produced a knife and held it close to El Gaucho's left eye.

"I'm going to Kill you El Gaucho" he stated in a sing song voice "You might be asking yourself why…..frankly I don't know why myself I believe it has something to do with the feeling that I get when cold hard steel pierces through flesh, or it could be the fact that you are in association with the one person I hate more than my parents"

Zsasz raised his knife and quickly plunged it into El Gaucho's eye earning a loud groan of pain from him.

"Batman" Zsasz growled out twisting the knife earning an even larger grown of pain.

The recruits down below heard El Gaucho groans and grunts and they could hear the knife being plunged into him. Fear, absolute fear begin to grip their entire being as the men dressed as the Joker approached them, they too pulled out their own knives and looked at them with menace and malice and stepped forward.

While all of this was going on the Camera that was set up caught every single agonizing second.

* * *

**Few Days Later- Paris, France**

Standing on the roof-top of a building in the beautiful city of Paris, was a man about 5'11 garbed in a gray outfit with a black bat symbol on his chest. He was wearing a gray mask that covered his face, a yellow utility belt and black boots. This man's name was Bilal Asselah aka Nightrunner the Batman of Paris. Nightrunner was a representative of Batman in Paris and he was doing his nightly patrol of the city. So far there was no activity everything was quiet as a mouse. Nightrunner nodded his head in satisfaction and decided to call it a night. He took a running start and was about to leap to the next building when something hit him directly in the back.

* * *

Sitting in an old tower with a powerful sniper rifle in his hands Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot adjusted his scope. He adjusted the scope until Nightrunner came into view, Deadshot took a drag of his cigarette and waited. He saw Nightrunner getting ready to jump and that's when he pulled the trigger. The rifle bullet sailed through the air and ripped through Nightrunner's back.

* * *

"AHHH!" Nightrunner shouted in pain. His jump was interrupted in mid air so along with being shot he began to fall through the air until he hit the concrete of the ground below with full force.

"ARGH! AHHHHHH!" Nightrunner shouted in absolute pain, but he didn't have time to really dwell upon his pain because through the tears and blood he could make out several people in purple outfits make their way to him. He saw that they had their face painted white and ruby red lipstick on their faces, they stood over him looking down at him. One of the Jokers stepped forward with a video camera and leaned down and ripped his mask off.

"The Joker sends his regards" stated the thug with the camera before his accomplices pulled out their guns and opened fire on the helpless Nightrunner.

* * *

Deadshot tossed his cigarette away and leaned back into the wall.

"One down….about a dozen more to go" he said to himself as he began the grueling process of packing up his weapon.

* * *

**Days Later- Gotham City- Wayne Tower**

Dick Grayson sat on his couch staring at the phone in his hands, gathering up his courage he dialed a few numbers and he waited.

"Hello" came the voice on the other end.

"Barbara…..hey"

"Hi Dick" she replied

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good….I'm dealing each day is better than the last" she said

"Yeah I noticed that you were coming out of your self-exile"

"Dick…..I'm sorry if I….you know shut you out it was just…" she started before he interrupted her.

"Say no more Barb….I think we all know how difficult it is dealing with the death of a parent, so no worries. I'm just glad that you're getting back to your old self"

"Yeah me too"

"Listen uh…..I was wondering since you're in a better mood…..I was wondering did you wanna go out sometime"

"Go out" she repeated.

"Yeah you know….as friends of course. With all of the stuff that's been happening to us lately I just wanted to have a nice evening out, because who knows when we'll have another chance, and this could be a way for us to air out all of the stuff going on...I'm tired of being angry…..I…."

"That's sounds great Dick…..how about Friday….I'll meet you at that restaurant we used to go to when we were at Gotham University"

"Great…..I'll see you then" he replied happily

"Bye"

"Bye Barb" he said hanging up the phone, with a slight smile on his face.

* * *

**Barbara's Apartment**

Barbara hung up her phone and then laid back down in her bed and released a sigh.

"That was Dick" she said turning her head to the left, but to her surprise she didn't see Bruce laying beside her, she saw him putting on his Batman outfit, he had just put his cowl over his face when he turned to her.

"I heard….it's good that he's talking to you, we've been silent to each other for far too long" said Batman heading towards the widow.

"Wait where are you going" she asked with raised eyebrows "I thought it would be just you and me tonight"

"I'll be back, I just have to check on Gotham first…the Joker could be up to something I have to make sure everything is all right, plus some of the inmates that escaped from Arkham are still on the loose" he said before jumping out of the window. Barbara got up from her bed wrapping the sheet around her naked body and went to the window but it was too late Batman was already gone.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

Dick stood up from the couch

**DING!** Went the sound of the elevator arriving, he turned just as the doors opened he was half expecting to see Damian but to his surprise it was Helena. She stepped off of the elevator in her regular street clothes and she had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Helena" he stated in slight shock "What are you doing here?"

Helena ignored him for a second and then went to the light switch, she flicked the switch and the mini-bar swirled around for her to see. She grabbed a glass and poured herself a quick drink and gulped it down and then turned to Dick.

"Hi" she said

"Uh...Hi"

A long moment passed between the two, Helena nervously shifted her feet, but here eyes never once left the form of Dick Grayson….the love of her life. Helena Bertinelli was in love with Dick and had been for a while. When they first acted on their attraction to one another she had thought nothing of it, but as the days passed she found that Dick was always on her mind, everyday she would think of him. She had entertained the idea of him and her being together but Dick was always with another woman and the majority of the time the woman he was with was her sister: Barbara Gordon. Helena was no fool she saw the way they looked at each other and she knew they both loved each other which is why she never really pursued Dick like she could have, she didn't want to ruin the relationship that she shared with Barbara and because she had started dating the Question. All of that changed though when Barbara got injured, she and Dick tried but they could never be like they were and they broke up. Helena wanted to pursue Dick then but she was already in a committed relationship with the Question but little did she know that that relationship would end the way it did and once again both were free. About a year and a half ago she had dropped by to ask Dick out on a date but when she arrived he had been distraught and he was crying. Sadness was rolling off of him in waves and she decided that it wasn't the best time to talk about their relationship so she comforted him as best as she could, mostly by drinking with him. The rest of the year went like that, he would call her to talk to and for comfort and each time she would drop large hints that she was interested in him, but either he hadn't picked up on it or he was ignoring it, finally though she had had enough. Earlier in the day she decided that she was going to lay her feeling for him out on the table, so she gathered her courage and went over to Wayne Towers, but now that she was there and she was staring at him, she found she couldn't get the words out.

"I…" she started and then stopped.

Dick stood there looking at her wondering what she was trying to say.

"Oh to hell with it" she said suddenly. The distance between them closed quickly as Helena threw herself in his arms and kissed him with all the passion that she felt for him. Dick was caught completely off guard but he quickly composed himself and responded to her kiss, perhaps the best kiss of his life. The two stood there kissing each other passionately but then Dick opened his eyes and broke the kiss, breathing hard.

"Wait a minute…oh my God" he said out of breathe, his lips were tingling, every nerve ending in his body was alert, it felt like his heart was doing 5 miles a minute. He looked at Helena and he could see the desire in her eyes, "Where did that come from"

"Dick don't okay….please don't. You know exactly where that came from. You know we have something here and I'm tired…I'm absolutely tired of beating around the bush"

Dick took a step back and caught his breathe he knew exactly what she was talking about; he knew that she was in love with him, but he didn't know if he felt the same way.

He looked at her, and when he did that she caught the look of desire in his eyes as well.

"I love you Dick" she stated "And if that is your poker face then I just got your tell….you love me too don't you" she continued.

Dick rubbed his neck

"Helena…" he started while looking away

"No…look me in my eyes and say it Dick…say it" she replied stepping towards him and turning his face back to her.

"…"

"Say it" she said again

"…I love you"

"I knew it" she replied with a smile and going in for another kiss but he turned his head and her lips landed on his cheek. He took a step back again and he looked at her.

"Helena….I'm not going to lie to you….I love you I do….I Love You….but I'm not **in **Love with you" he said with sad eyes.

Helena stood there in shock, her stomach begins to knot up and she started to feel pain in her chest and the words struck her hard. She shook her head in sadness and she gathered what was left of her pride and she began to walk towards the elevator.

"Helena…" Dick called out. She stopped when she heard his voice, but she didn't turn around, "I'm sorry"

"It's Barbara isn't it….you're still in Love with her"

"…" he didn't answer

"Your silence speaks volumes…..You have nothing to be sorry for Dick….you've made your choice, but….while you're in love with her…..are you so sure she's in love with you"

"…"

"Goodbye Dick" she stated walking towards the elevator. The doors opened and Damian was standing there.

"Hey Hele….." he started.

"OUT OF THE WAY BRAT!" she shouted grabbing him and yanking him out of the elevator. She stepped inside and the doors closed.

"What the hell is her problem" asked Damian turning to Dick who had a depressed look on his face, "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing Damian alright….Nothing" he said running a hand through his hair.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

Barbara and Damian suddenly stopped telling the story and just sat there for a second, both just staring off into space. Terry looked back and forth between the two wondering just what was on their minds, but if the expressions on their face was any indication it couldn't be anything good.

"It was about a week later…..when thing's got out of control" stated Damian "Dick and I went out on a routine call when we were jumped by that shadowy figure again"

"The one that shot you guys down" asked Terry

"Yeah…him…..he caught me and Dick off guard and he…..maimed Dick" said Damian with a far away look in his eyes.

"He maimed Dick"

"Cut off his left leg and left hand….I barely had enough time to get him back to the cave"

"Jesus" said Terry breathlessly

"But it doesn't end there…we went back out that night to find that shadowy bastard"

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah we did….but he was prepared for us" answered Barbara

* * *

**Past- Gotham City**

Batman, Batgirl and Robin in a new costume landed on the roof that not even an hour was the site of a vicious battle. Batman and Batgirl looked at the roof and could see spare batarangs, cracked concrete and of course blood, the blood of Dick Grayson.

"My God" Batgirl whispered seeing the scene. Robin took a step forward but he let out a groan of pain and grabbed his chest. Batgirl turned to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine…let's just find some clues as to who this bastard is" he growled pushing through the pain.

Batman stepped forward and tapped his cowl, mini blue lens appeared in front of his eyes and began to scan the area, he tapped his cowl again and everything became an x-ray and that's when he saw it, beneath their feet the roof was wired with explosives.

"MOVE!" shouted Batman but it was too late the explosives detonated.

**BOOOOOOOOM!** The whole roof went up in an explosion. Batgirl and Robin were thrown off of the roof while Batman fell through the crumbling roof.

* * *

**Batman**

Batman hit the bottom floor of the building roughly, despite protest from his body he started to push himself up and ready himself for an attack that he knew was coming and just as he made it to his feet, he felt a kick to his back. Batman took the kick and rolled forward and turned and threw three batarangs. He landed in a crouch to see his attacker twirl his double bladed bo staff and effortlessly slice the batarangs in half. Batman got a good look at the person that kicked him and sure enough he was a shadowy figure just as Dick and Damian had described the first time they had seen him. Batman stood up and the shadowy figure readied his bo staff. In an instant the two charged at each other and met in a furry of quick of quick exchanges. No words were exchanged because none were needed they spoke with their attacks, each attack Batman threw was designed to hurt and disarm, but every attack the shadowy figure threw was designed to do one thing….Kill. The figure spun his bladed bo staff and then thrusted it forward, Batman blocked it with his fins and tried to grabbed the staff but his opponent anticipated that and jumped and landed a powerful roundhouse to Batman's head making him stumble back. The shadowy figure landed but then he heard ticking he looked down to see that in the middle of his staff was a mini-bat bomb. The figure quickly threw the bo staff away just as it exploded in a shower of metal. The figure let out a laugh before turning back to Batman who was approaching with a punch, the figure blocked the punch and went for a punch of his own which Batman blocked as well, the two formidable combatants continued to exchange blows.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" came a scream of pain from outside. The sudden scream gave the figure an opening and he landed a devastating uppercut that drew blood from Batman's lip.

* * *

**Batgirl and Robin**

"ARGH!" grunted Robin as he hit the pavement of the dingy Gotham alley, much like he did earlier in the night. Batgirl fell and landed on the ground not too far away from him. He slowly pushed himself up and he could see Batgirl doing the same thing.

"SICK EM!" a voice shouted. Suddenly two hyenas charged down the alleyway. They jumped and tackled Robin to the ground scratching and biting at him.

"ROBIN!" shouted Batgirl but she didn't have time to worry about him because she heard the sound of something hitting the ground, she looked down to see a canister releasing a green gas that she made the mistake of breathing in. Batgirl felt her body beginning to grow stiff.

"I…can't…..move" she tried to say. Through the corner of her eyes she saw Harley Quinn flipping into view and towards her. Harley finished flipping and pulled out a knife and plunged it into Batgirl's shoulder and twisted it.

"ARGGHHHHHHHHH….." shouted Batgirl before her mouth froze completely.

"Sorry Bat-skank I was aiming for your neck…do worry I won't miss again" said Harley pulling the knife out and aiming it at her neck. Before she could kill Batgirl a grappling hook fired and wrapped around her arm and pulled her out of the way.

Harley fell to the ground and dropped her knife in the process; she looked up to see Robin in air about to punch her. She rolled out of the way in the nick of time and tried to kick him but he blocked it. Harley quickly got to her feet and she glanced down the alley to see her babies tied up.

"You hurt my babies bird boy….Mama Spank" she said jumping at him with an axe kick. Robin effortlessly blocked the axe and responded with a powerful roundhouse to her stomach. Harley took a step back rubbing her throbbing stomach and she growled at Robin who stood his ground. He had scratching going along his face but the real draw was the menacing frown that adorned his features. He wasted no time and charged forward with a punch that nailed Harley in the mouth, he grabbed her by the shoulder and brought her in for a knee to her stomach earning a loud groan of pain, he straightened her up and the head butted her in the nose knocking her to the ground. Harley spit out some blood and tried to crawl away but Robin was upon her again. He bent down and turned her over and grabbed her by the throat and slowly lifted her up until she was off the ground slightly.

"ACK!" she gasped out feeling his grip.

"Who…..is…that GODDAMN SHADOWY FIGURE!" she shouted out

"That's…ACK!...not part…..of the game bird boy" Harley replied

"TELL ME!" he shouted again shaking her.

"I…..can't tell you that" Harley said

"QUINN EITHER YOU TELL ME….."

"Or what….you'll kill me….sorry bird boy…..Bats won't allow it…" she interrupted with a smile. Robin looked at her smile and then an image of Dick being maimed crossed his mind and his grip started to tighten ever so tightly. Harley started to gag even more feeling her air supply being cut off. She started to turn blue in the face and her eyes widen in fear as she stared into Robin's angry eyes.

"Sh-she…..Dies" Harley blurted out.

"What" Robin growled loosening his grip.

"She's gonna die if you don't get her the antidote" Harley answered

Robin turned to the frozen Batgirl and then back to Harley

"GIVE ME THE ANTIDOTE!"

"I don't have it….but I'm pretty sure you have one at the Bat-Cave…so you can either kill me or save her"

Robin growled before grabbing Harley by the front of her costume and swinging her around and then tossing her into the nasty green dumpster denting it. Harley looked up at him in fear. Robin quickly turned from her and made his way to Batgirl.

**BOOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of a wall being blown out. Robin used his cape for cover and he looked at the hole. Through the hole Batman was kicked out and to the ground, he quickly sprung to his feet and held up his fist. Robin looked him over to see that he was sporting a few cuts and was bleeding, his cape was torn but otherwise he looked fine. Robin's gaze then turned towards the figure exiting through the hole after Batman it was the same shadowy cloaked figure. Upon seeing him Damian's rage began to bubble, with every fiber of his being he wanted to go over there and help his father beat the figure into a pulp but he was drawn back to the urgent matter at hand saving Batgirl.

"BATMAN BATGIRL HAS BEEN POISENED!" he shouted.

Batman glanced at him and Batgirl and then back at his opponent who was backing away from him and towards Harley who was pushing herself to her feet.

"Come on….let's get out of here I think our message has been delivered" she said to the shadowy figure, he didn't say anything but he nodded his head, and reached into the raggedy cloak that hung from his body.

"Till next time Bats" she said before the shadowy figure tossed several smoke pellets to the ground. Batman used his cape to block his nose from the smoke just in case. The thick smoke began to dissipate and Harley and the mystery opponent had vanished along with the two Hyenas.

Batman narrowed his eyes, but the he remembered what Robin had said, he quickly turned and made his way over to Batgirl. Robin had what looked like a scanning device in his hands.

**BEEP! BEEP!** went the device.

"I've scanned some of her blood from her wound…she's infected with a highly potent paralytic toxin…..designed to completely immobilize the victim and augment pain receptors…this has Poison Ivy written all over it" he said to Batman "All of the poison cures we have us will not counter act this….but we might have something back in the Bat-Cave…..Batman we only have 8 minutes left to get the cure to her before the paralytic agent moves to her heart"

Batman quickly grabbed the frozen Batgirl and ran down the alley and to where they parked the batmobile. Just as they reached the batmobile it exploded tossing them back and too the ground.

"Ugh" Robin groaned pushing himself up on his elbows. He looked at the burning batmobile and then he turned to his father who was take his cape off of Batgirl, "I'm almost certain that the Joker is behind this" he said to his father as they both stood to their feet. Batman held up his arm and pressed something on his arm gauntlet. Robin looked at the batmobile and then something caught his eye. Sitting next to the batmobile was a purple and green box with a red bow on top. Robin slowly walked towards the box while shielding himself from the flames of the burning car. He bent down and read the card attached to the box, it said: Open Me. Robin picked up the box and he looked at it with narrow eyes.

"ROBIN!"

He turned to the sound of his father's voice; he looked up to see the bat-wing had arrived. Robin wasted no time in pulling out a grapping hook and firing towards the cockpit.

* * *

**BatCave**

"AHHHHHHHHH! ARGH!" Dick Grayson screamed, he had finally woken up and all he could feel was pain, from the stumps of his left hand and leg, and the pain from his missing eye.

"Master Grayson you must lie still" came Alfred's voice trying to hold down the thrashing Dick Grayson

"ARGHHHHHHHH!" Dick kept shouting. Alfred had a syringe in his hands, as soon as he heard Dick screaming he knew he had to find a way to put him back under because the pain he was feeling must've been unbearable. Alfred as quickly as he could took the cap off of the needle and plunged it into Dick's right leg and pushed down. The reaction was instant, Dick began to thrash less and less and he laid back down on the table motionless.

**SWOOOOOOOOSH!** Went the sound of wind kicking up in the batcave, which could only mean one thing Batman had returned in the batwing. Alfred let out a sigh and left the medical section of the cave and walked towards the Batwing. The batwing opened and Batman and Robin along with the frozen Batgirl emerged. The two rushed past Alfred and into the medical bay, Alfred followed close behind them.

"What happened to Ms. Gordon" he asked.

"She was poisoned Alfred we only have 2 minutes…..Damian!" Bruce called out.

"I've isolated the compound…..she needs a direct stimulant into her heart….followed by one of our anti-poison compounds…..I think….compound 5" he replied

"You think" Bruce repeated.

"Okay I know…Compound 5" he snapped back rushing around the medical bay looking for the compound. While he was doing that Batman grabbed a syringe with a long and thick needle and began to fill it with adrenaline.

"I've got it" said Damian pulling out the compound and putting it into an injector gun. Bruce went over to Barbara who could still move her eyes, they locked eyes for moment.

"This is gonna hurt but it will save your life" he said softly. He reared his hand back and in one quick and powerful motion he stabbed her in the heart with the needle and pushed down.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" shouted Barbara flailing around once she felt the adrenaline hit her system. It was a rush unlike anything she had felt before, her heart was pounded so hard and blood was pumping so fast throughout her body she did hear anything anyone was saying. She was in a state of delirium. Damian saw her flailing and knew he had to act quickly; he jumped towards her and injected the anti-poison compound into her arm. She grunted at the quick motion and turned to him but then as she looked at him her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed into his arms. Damian as gently as he could laid her down on the floor, he pulled out the scanner again and he collected some of the blood from her wound in her shoulder and he began to analyze it, the scanner gave a beep and he nodded his head to Bruce indicating she was safe. The two let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Master Bruce" came Alfred's voice, Bruce and Damian turned to him to see he had the box that Damian picked up in his hands, "What shall I do with this" he asked.

Bruce went towards him and took the box out of his hands and fearlessly opened it. He looked down into the box and his eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" asked Damian. Bruce reached into the box and pulled out a DVD that had play me written across it in Red.

Bruce and Damian left Alfred to attend to Barbara and Dick while they went towards the bat-computer. Bruce eyed the DVD and then inserted it into the computer and looked at the screen.

* * *

_**Bat-Computer **_

"_HELLLLOOOO! BAT FREAKS! For all of you that don't know me I'm Harley Quinn the hot and sexy partner to Mista J…that's the Joker for all you that didn't know, but I'm pretty sure you all knew that. Anywho….the Joker asked me to deliver a message to all of you freaks that's part of…..Batman Incorporated, and here it is_

* * *

Bruce and Damian eyes widen as the film switches to the home of El Gaucho, it shows how he and his recruits suffer an agonizing death by the hands of Victor Zsasz and men dressed up in Joker outfits.

Bruce slams a fist down on the computer while Damian balls his fist up. The video captured everything, every stab and every grunt of pain. Bruce and Damian saw how they were all frozen in their spots, just like Barbara had been frozen.

* * *

_**DVD**_

"_Well now….that's what I call entertainment….oh but wait bat freaks there's more…._

* * *

"NIGHTRUNNER!" shouted Damian in shock as the video shifted to a bleeding Nightrunner, "NOOOOOO!" Damian yelled as the men in joker outfits pulled out their guns and unloaded their weapons on his down form. Damian averted his eyes and slammed his hands on the bat computer as well.

* * *

_**DVD**_

"_I hope the message Mista J has sent is very clear and if it wasn't let me spell it out for all of you. We **know** who you are…we **know** everything about you, where you live, where you work, where you go to school and we even know who you screw on a daily basis and guess what bat-freaks…..we're gonna kill all of you. Mista J has declared war on Batman Incorporated and as you see none of you are untouchable, the time for jokes is over, it's time you assholes understand whose really in charge….and here's a hint it ain't the Bat that you all worship guess where we got all of our info from…thanks Batman. Oh and one last thing…see you all real soon…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" _

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

"RAHHH!" shouted Damian kicking over the chair that was in front of the bat computer, "THIS IS WHAT WE GET! DON"T YOU SEE NOW WE…."

"QUIET!" Bruce shouted back.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** went an alarm on the bat-computer. Bruce looked up at the computer and he started to type a few things until a video feed pulled up on the screen.

* * *

_**TV**_

"_Good Evening Gotham I'm Vicki Vale and I'm bringing you live footage. Not even 15 minutes ago the Joker escaped from Black Gate prison in an explosion that has left not only guards dead but fellow inmates as well….As you can see behind me the police and fire department are doing the best they can to quell the fire. Wait a minute I'm receiving an estimate…there are about 5 guards dead and 18 inmates dead, with numerous injured…_

* * *

**BatCave**

Bruce stared at the screen with an unreadable expression on his face. For the first time in a long time he was at a loss on what to do, he always prided himself on being prepared for any and everything, always having a plan but now at this precise moment he had no idea on what to do about the Joker. The man has caused nothing but mayhem, death, and chaos and now he's escaped again and he's declared war on him and Batman Incorporated. He had learned his identity and he had learned the identity of everyone involved and he's done the unspeakable again and killed El Gaucho and Nightrunner. Bruce held his head down trying to think of something but nothing was coming to mind. After a long second he reached up and pulled his mask over his face and he turned to a very irate Damian.

"Let's go Damian…we have to help them put out that fire" he said turning and heading for the Batwing

"FIRE!" Damian shouted at his walking form "HOW CAN YOU THINK OF A FUCKING FIRE AT A TIME LIKE THIS….HE'S KILLING US! DON"T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, HE'S KILLING US! WE HAVE TO FIND HIM AND END HIM BEFORE THERE ARE ANYMORE CASUALTIES! DO YOU HEAR ME!"

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"So the Joker escaped again and he had declared war on you guys" Terry summed up.

"Yeah" Damian answered

"So what happened after that?" he asked.

"What do you think McGinnis…the Joker declared war…people began to panic and then….the casualties began to pile up"

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review. Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments, I know I know cliffhanger I hate those too but it's necessary. I'm working as hard as I can to get the next chapter out and finish up this arc and get back to the main story. I knew it was going to be long but I didn't know just how long it would be, so readers please just stick with me as I get these chapters out. I hope everyone is enjoying the chapter…..I know it's dark but that was the point. This is the event that scarred everyone deeply and caused them to walk away from everything that they knew, and my loyal readers I'm afraid it's only gonna get dark as we move into the final part….at least I hope it's the final part. Anyway I'm curious to see what you readers are thinking about this arc so again leave a review with your thoughts and if you have any additional questions or concerns just send me a message and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying Later…..**

**Ps: Next chapter should be the final part to the Fall of Batman and then after that I'll get back into Secret Warrior: Spider-Man, again thanks for being so patient. **

**Next up: The Fall of Batman part 3**


	17. The Fall of Batman part 3

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS! I Repeat I do not own these characters. In fact all credit goes directly to DC. DC owns these characters I do not, just so we're clear on that. So having made that disclaimer as clear as I can I ask that you please do not SUE ME! I do not have any money I really don't so again PLEASE DO NOT SUE! Thanks**

**Hey People I'm back again with not quite the final part of my fall of Batman Arc, but another chapter. I know it's been a dark and wild ride and in this chapter everything builds to the final climax so sit back relax: READ, REVIEW (writer's fuel) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Fall of Batman part 3**

**Past- Bat-Cave**

Stephanie Brown aka Batgirl made her way down the winding steps and further into the Bat-Cave. She made it to the bottom floor and with her eyes she searched for one person in particular Bruce Wayne aka Batman. She found him standing in front of his computer in a heated conversation with the Batman and Robin of the United Kingdom; Knight and Squire.

* * *

"BLOODY HELL BATMAN HOW DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!" shouted Squire through the link.

"Squire calm down" came Knight's voice as he tried to sooth his sidekick down, but the more he tried to calm her down the more she got upset.

"No…our names are out there now Knight" she replied

"I know that but let the man speak first" Knight shot back, he had a slight edge in his voice and hearing it Squire calm down a little, "Thank you" he said while turning back to Batman, "Explain"

"There were some complications" Batman stated

"Big complications I see…what are you doing to rectify this Batman"

"Measures are being taken….I'm sending the Birds of Prey to the United Kingdom to meet you…. the Joker is not working alone. From the reports on Nightrunner's death and from the DVD, he's working with Poison Ivy, Deadshot and Victor ZsasZ. It should not take them long to locate and deal with Deadshot who I'm assuming is going to go after the two of you next"

"Why do you assume that we're next" asked Knight folding his arms across his armored chest.

"Call it a hunch" he replied "Batman out" he continued pressing a button on the bat-computer to end the conversation. Batman leaned forward on the computer and let out a sigh. That was 5th conversation he had within the last few hours or so, the DVD had been distributed to just about all of the key heads of his Batman Inc organization and they all called him in a panic asking was it true. He had no choice but to tell them the truth and as the Joker probably planned they all began to get angry and panic. He had done his best to calm them down but it seems like that wouldn't be enough.

"So it is true" came a voice. Batman turned to see Stephanie Brown standing behind him with her mask pulled back, "I got an anonymous email yesterday with a video attached….the Joker knows our identities and he had ZsasZ kill Gaucho and….and…..Nightrunner"

"Yes….he knows who we are" Batman replied

"HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN BRUCE!" she shouted at him, but she didn't even give him a chance to answer before she continued her tirade "I MEAN I THOUGHT OUR IDENTIES WERE CONFIDENTIAL! HOW THE HELL DOES SOMEONE LIKE THE JOKER GET THEM! OH MY GOD!...my mother" she whispered looking at him.

"Stephanie calm down…..the worst thing you can do right now is panic…that's what he wants…he wants us to panic to feel fear….right now we need to pull together and stay strong" he said to her

"You're right, I know you're…..we…I need to keep it together….you know it would help if I knew where Tim was….I've been so busy with my own life and keeping up with the missions that you give me that I haven't seen him in…..who knows how long…where is he" she asked looking at him.

"He's ….on mission" Batman stated turning away from her and back to the computer.

"Well call him back we need him here especially if the joker knows our identities….he's out on some secret mission and his cover could be blown at any moment" she replied waking towards him.

"Stephanie…..I'll call him in when I can but for now…"

"He's dead" came a voice.

Stephanie whipped around to see Robin aka Damian Wayne standing behind her with a serious and angry expression on his face, she looked at him with shock and they then locked eyes.

"W-What…."

"You heard me Stephanie Tim…..is dead. He's been dead for about a year now, he was the Joker's first victim" Damian said

Stephanie shook her head in disbelief at what Damian was telling her, she turned away from him and then back to Batman who had his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

"He's lying right….it's not true….. is it" she asked in a low and weak voice.

"….Yes…it's true. Tim is dead" he answered after a long minute. Stephanie's eyes widen in horror. A lump had formed in her throat and it felt like it was choking her, she was hoping to God that Damian was lying or he just didn't know what he was talking about, but hearing the words from Batman she knew it had to be true. Stephanie put a hand to her heart because it was beating faster and faster as the news that she just heard continued to sink in, but then her pain and sadness turned to anger. Her face scrunched up as she looked between Damian and Batman.

"HE'S BEEN DEAD FOR A YEAR! A NO ONE SAID ANYTHING! WHY!" she screamed at him and then turned back to Damian, but neither answered.

"ANSWER ME!" she shouted, but again neither of them answered. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she stood in the middle of the two of them awaiting answers but she soon realized that she wouldn't be getting any, "BOTH OF YOU CAN GO TO HELL" she growled before wiping her eyes and storming past Damian and practically running out of the Bat-Cave. Damian watched her go and then he turned back to his father who was standing right in front of him staring him down, 7 years ago Damian would have shied away from him but now that he was grown up his fear of his father was beginning to dwindle and he was too angry to afraid of him.

"That was uncalled for Damian" Bruce growled "We can't break down at a time like this…" he started before Damian interrupted.

"It was only a matter of time before she found out…..and Father….if we are to survive the coming battle we all must be on the same page…..and I think that she deserves to know seeing as how close she was to Tim….."

"Leave the thinking to me Damian"

"I have….and look at where that's gotten us….."

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" came a scream. Bruce and Damian turned towards the Medical bay of the Bat Cave and they knew that it had to be Dick. The two of them rushed towards the medical bay hoping they would be able to calm him down.

* * *

**Med Bay**

Barbara opened her eyes to the sound of screaming and she looked to her right to see Dick awake and screaming in pain again. She forced herself up into a sitting position; she then got up off the bed and made her way over to Dick. Her body was still slightly stiff from the potent poison from poison Ivy but her motion was starting to return fully. Barbara reached Dick and as best as she could tried to restrain him.

"Dick….calm down" she said.

"CALM DOWN! I'M MISSING MY LEG, MY HAND, AND MY EYE BARBARA I'M PRETTY SURE I'M NOT GONNA CALM DOWN!" he shouted back at her trying to get up but Barbara pushed him back down into a laying position.

"HELP!" she shouted. Just as the words left her mouth Damian and Bruce entered the area, Damian went towards Barbara and helped her hold him down. Bruce went over to a counter with some medical supplies and he picked up the injector and a vile of blue liquid. He made his way over and injected the liquid into the stump that was Dick's leg and the stump on his hand. The agonizing pain Dick was feeling melted away and he was able to relax but unlike last time he didn't pass out, the drugs left him fully conscious.

"Better?" asked Damian

"Pain wise…yes…Psychologically…No" Dick snapped back. The feeling running through his body was a mixture of fear and anguish. He could still feel his missing limbs and he tried to open both of his eyes but the socket with the missing eye hurt when he tried to open it so he tried his best to keep it closed, but the eye that wasn't gone zeroed in on his hand and his leg and upon seeing the stumps he was jolted into reality and the reality was that they were gone.

"Let him go" came Bruce's voice. Damian and Barbara looked at him and then back at Dick who was much calmer and he nodded his head. The two released him and took a step back. Dick grunted but he forced himself to sit up and immediately his eye landed on his missing leg. Dick has always been defined by his agility, his acrobatics from the time he was a small child all the way into his adulthood, nobody had come close to his abilities and as he looked at his missing leg and his hand he was made aware that all of that acrobatics…..was over.

"D-D...id….you catch that shadowy bastard" he asked trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

"No we…" started Bruce

"I WASN"T TALKING TO YOU!" he shouted in rage his eye darting up to his adopted father. Bruce saw the anger in his eye and he closed his mouth, Barbara weakly raised a hand and laid it on Dick's shoulder, but he shrugged it off and he glanced at her. The look he gave her brought back what Damian had told her that he knew about her and Bruce; she quickly looked away from him and to the ground.

"Damian" he said in a low voice.

"No…..we went back to see if we could find something but we were jumped again by that figure and Harley Quinn. Quinn was carrying some extremely potent poison made by Poison Ivy…..Barbara got hit so we had to come back here. He's still out there" Damian explained.

Dick expression became unreadable as Damian laid all of the fact out to him, a long silence passed between everyone in the medical bay. No one said anything each waiting for the other to say something but no words could be formed. Finally the silence was broken by Bruce who put his cowl back over his head and started for the exit.

"Where are you going?" asked Barbara

"Poison Ivy" he stated over his shoulder.

"I'm Coming with you" said Damian turning and grabbing a few anti-poison capsules from the counter.

"No" Batman said

"I wasn't asking" Damian retorted putting his mask on and following him out.

* * *

Barbara watched the two of them leave the med bay leaving her and Dick alone. They both heard the sound of the Batwing powering up and flying out of the cave.

Barbara turned her eyes back to Dick who was already looking at her, she stood there looking at him and he sat there looking at her. She could see the hurt in his eye, and something told her that it wasn't because of his injuries, she let out a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Dick….I…" she started.

"Save it Barbara" he said turning away from her.

"…how did you find out" she asked after a brief second.

Dick let out a sigh and turned back to her.

"That day we were supposed to meet at the restaurant"

"You never showed up"

"I didn't go to the restaurant but I did go to your apartment…..I was kinda excited about our…..our friend date or whatever, that I wanted to walk there with you, so I went to your apartment and…..you were with….."

"Bruce" she finished closing her eyes "Wait a minute you broke into my house"

"I heard sounds…..I thought you were in trouble" he replied

"Dick…this isn't how I wanted you to find out okay….I….."

"Like I said…save it Barbara…..you've made your choice" he said back to her while laying back down on the table and closing his eye. Barbara cast a look at the ground before she turned and head back for her own bed.

* * *

**Gotham West- Abandoned Military Base. **

"My Precious darlings….how are we doing today" came the voice of Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy. She was currently in her new workshop of sorts hard at work augmenting her plants with her chemicals making them grow big a strong. She cusped the head of one of her giant Venus flytrap plants and gave it an affectionate kiss on the petals. Poison Ivy stood up and turned away from the flytrap and proceeded to spray the rest of her growling garden of plants.

"Don't worry my babies Mama will get to all of you" she said holding up her spray can about to spray one of her budding plants.

**CRASH!** Poison Ivy jumped at the sound and looked up to see Batman and Robin descending through the skylight, they landed in front of her and they had a menacing look on their faces. She turned her can on them but Batman quickly knocked it away and grabbed her by the front of her green blouse and held her up off of the ground.

"Ivy" Batman growled out.

"Batman" she replied in shock "What do you want I'm not doing anything wrong…"

"QUIET!" he snapped shaking her, "You and the Joker TALK!"

"…Go to hell" she replied

"Listen you bitch either you tell us what we want to know or you plants won't live to see tomorrow" came Robin's voice as he produced a batarang, he threw the batarang at one of her plants, it gave a beep before a small explosion happened incinerating the plant.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Poison Ivy shouted feeling the pain the plant felt from the explosion.

"TALK!"

"Okay….okay….Harley busted me and several other people out. She told me that the Joker wanted me to create a toxin for him so I did….He wants to Kill you Batman" she replied quickly

"Where is he?" Robin asked/demanded.

"Industrial power plant…Southside….." she said.

Batman roughly tossed her to the ground and pulled out a grappling hook as did Robin. They fired at the Skylight and they were gone leaving Ivy all alone with her plants.

* * *

**Industrial Power Plant**

Batman and Robin fell out of the Batwing wing and used their capes to glide down towards the power plant, they glided towards a roof that had a glass skylight and silently landed. The Dynamic Duo snuck towards the skylight being careful and mindful of any type of security. Batman peered through the skylight to see inside the power plant and he saw several items down below that screamed Joker. He opened the skylight and he jumped through and he was followed by Robin.

* * *

The gently landed on the ground but as soon as they did the light turned on and a metal grate slide over the skylight trapping them inside. A tapestry lowered down on one of the walls and a projector turned on and began to play a pre-recorded message.

"_HELLO BATS!"_ came the voice of their enemy the Joker, _"If you're seeing this message that means you probably found Ivy and forced her to talk. I swear if that woman did have such a nice behind I would've had to kill her. ANYWHO! You might have found this hideout but you won't find my next one that I can guarantee. Oh! Where are my manners you're a guest in my former home so allow me to greet you properly_" said the message before the screen began to countdown from 10.

Batman quickly pressed a button on his gauntlet.

**BOOM!** Went the sound of the batwing bursting a hole through one of the walls. Batman and Robin without question or hesitation ran towards the hole and jumped through, they fired a grappling hook at the Batwing and it pulled away just as an explosion ripped through the power plant.

**KABOOOOOOM! BABOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

Batman and Robin watched the explosion from the safety of the Batwing.

"Dammit" said Robin hitting his arm rest "This clowned bastard is always one step ahead of us…where the hell is he"

Batman narrowed his eyes as the same question ran through his mind as well.

* * *

**Brown Household. **

Stephanie Brown entered through the front door of her house and the first thing she was greeted to was darkness. Her house was pitch black which was very unusual; her mother should have been home by now. Once Stephanie had left from the Bat-Cave she had made a mad dash towards her house. She was absolutely furious with Batman, Tim her ex-boyfriend who she still had feelings for was dead and had been dead for a year and a half and to top everything off the Joker now knew their identities, which meant that her mother wasn't safe. Stephanie had hurried from the Bat-Cave to her house, the whole ride home she was contemplating on the best way to tell her mother that she had picked up the costumed crime fighting again. When Stephanie first put on the costume for her Spoiler identity her mother had found out and she was angry and forbade her form donning the costume again but she didn't listen and she continued to do it and she ended up getting hurt and almost dying, so when she put on the Batgirl costume she swore to herself that she wouldn't tell her mother but it seemed like that promise had to be broken. She needed to get her mother to some place safe and fast before the Joker got to her.

"MOM! ARE YOU HOME!" she shouted quickly closing the door behind her and turning on the light in the living room.

"MOM!" she shouted again making her way through the living and towards the kitchen, she turned on the light and her eyes widen sitting in the kitchen tied up with a gag over her mouth was her mother.

"MO….." Stephanie started before she felt a needle being plunged into her neck; she turned her head to see a shadowy figure standing there. Stephanie's eyes started to grow heavy and everything started to spin, "M-M…" she tried before she collapsed and into the arms of the shadowy figure.

"**HEHE**" he laughed while hoisting her over his shoulder.

"MMMHMMHMMM!" Stephanie's Mom Crystal Brown struggled to say.

The figure turned to Mrs. Brown and he looked at her.

"Don't worry Mrs. Brown I'll take good care of your Daughter…..Hehe….I have plans for her…Hehe" he said before he reached into his black cloak and pulled out a gun with a silencer on the barrel, "Unfortunately for you I didn't plan on you surviving" he stated before pulled the trigger.

**ZIP! ZIP!** Went the sound of the bullets ripping through the head of Stephanie's mother killing her. The shadowy figure let out a sigh and put the gun back into his cloak and heading for the door with Stephanie over his shoulder.

* * *

**Location Unknown- Hours Later**

**KRZZZZZZZZZ **

"AHHHHHHH!" shouted Stephanie as she was shocked awake, "WHAT THE HELL" she shouted from the pain of the shock. Her eyes darted around but she could see anything but the bright light hanging from the ceiling. She tried to move but she felt that she was held down by metal restraints.

"**HEHEHEHE**….Oh Harley look at her squirm" came a voice that made Stephanie's blood run cold.

"Joker" she whispered, suddenly the grinning face of the Joker appeared in her line of sight.

"Hello Stephanie…comfortable" he asked knowing that she wasn't

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun" he replied

"What do you want with me?" she asked trying to sound tough.

"Well Stephanie….it's complicated but I believe the simplest answer would be a new recruit" he stated.

"What"

"You have been forcibly recruited into Joker Incorporated and the first rule of Joker Incorporated is that all recruits must wear a smile on their face at all times….HARLEY!" he called out.

Stephanie heard footsteps and she strained to her head to the right to see Harley Quinn step into view and stand over her as well.

"Here ya go Mista J" she said handing him sharp knife. Seeing the Knife panic began spread throughout her body, she was praying to God that any moment Batman was going to come crashing through the ceiling and deal with the Joker and save her, but little did she know that Batman…wasn't coming.

The Joker palmed the knife and with his free hand grabbed the sides of her face and forced her to look him in the eyes. All of the joy in his face vanished only a look of menacing evil could be seen as he lowered the knife to the right side of her cheek.

"Let's put a smile on that face shall we" he said.  
"YERAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Stephanie screamed.

* * *

**Next Day: Streets of Washington D.C. **

"HA!" shouted Hank Hall aka Hawk as he pounded away onto the Joker theme thugs that were trying to rob a bank. He held up one of the thugs and effortlessly tossed him across the street making him crash into a trash bin head first.

"Hawk….take it easy" his partner Dawn Granger aka Dove said to him as she jumped in the air and kicked one of her opponents in the face knocking him our and too the ground.

"EASY!" he shouted turning to her "YOU WANT ME TO TAKE IT EASY ON THESE PUNKS!" he suddenly twisted and delivered a back fist that shattered the jaw of one of the thugs and sent them to the ground writhing in pain, "Need I remind you Dove of that fucking video we got yesterday" he growled to her.

"I haven't forgotten" she replied delivering a punch to her next opponent. Hawk and Dove relaxed as they finished dealing with the last of the joker theme thugs. They heard the sirens in the distance, so they quickly made their way away from the scene and to the roof of the building across the street.

Hawk and Dove watched as the police began to apprehend the thugs.

"Goddamn it….I knew partnering up with Batman was a bad idea" said Hawk turning to Dove.

"Hank you were all for it" Dove replied turning to him.

"How could he let something like this happen….The Joker of all people"

Yesterday Hawk and Dove both received a DVD and on the DVD it contained the message form Harley Quinn.

"From the stories that Barbara has told us, the Joker is quite the cunning adversary, but I'm just as surprised as you Hank but we can not let our fear rule us"

"Fear…..who said I was afraid of that pale faced freak" he snapped back to her.

**POP!** Went a sound behind them. Hawk and Dove whipped around in a defensive stance but they relaxed as they saw Charlotte Gage-Radcliff aka Misfit standing behind him.

"What do you want girl?" asked Hawk

"Nice to see you too….listen we got an emergency meeting at Oracles place…it's a call from Batman the rest of the group is waiting" she said holding out her hand.

"Oh yeah I can't wait to lay into the arrogant asshole" growled Hawk stomping forward.

"Hank this is not the time to let your anger get the best of you….yes our identities is out in the open but we must not start attack each other" Dove said walking forward. The two grabbed hold of Misfit's outstretched hand and in a flash of Pink they all disappeared.

* * *

**GOtham- Barbara's Apartment**

**POP!** Hawk, Dove and Misfit appeared in Barbara's apartment and they all saw Barbara in her Batgirl costume with the mask off sitting on her couch and Batman was standing right next to her. Standing in front of them was the Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and Black Canary and both were livid as well.

"HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN!" shouted Helena crossing her arms across her chest.

"Calm down sis" said Zinda Blake aka Lady Blackhawk

"Calm down my ass" Helena snapped

"Helena….calm down" came Black Canary's voice as she put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look. Helena looked at Dinah and let out a sigh and took a step back.

"Fine…." she replied, "Explain"

"The Joker through various means discovered my true identity and as a direct result he somehow discovered all of your identities as well, I've begun to take steps to track him down but until that time we can not panic, that is what he wants. He wants us to start panicking, he wants to instill fear and…"

"Who are you?" asked Hawk catching everyone's attention; they turned to him for a second before they turned back to Batman awaiting his answer.

No one except for the core members of the bat family knew Batman's true identity. Helena and Dinah both came close to discovering his identity once but failed, however they were able to discover Barbara and Dick being Batgirl and Nightwing. Helena had questioned both on separate occasions as to who is truly under the cowl, but they were able to dodge her questions. Helena had once guessed that it was Bruce Wayne but both Dick and Barbara put that down saying that all Bruce Wayne did was supply the money that was it, Batman was someone else entirely, but now the time had come. After being a faithful and loyal part of Batman Incorporated it was time for her and the rest of the Bird's of Prey to discover Batman's true identity. Helena, Dinah, Zinda, Charlotte, Hank and Dawn stared at him and Barbara intently. Barbara glanced at her teammates and then up at Batman.

"You guys look this…" she started before being interrupted by Dinah

"No No Barbara…that is a good question and if he can know our identity I think it's high time that we know his"

"Not to mention because of him our Identities is out in the open" Hawk Chimed.

"Who I am is not important" said Batman finally.

"BULLSHIT!" Hawk shouted stepping forward.

"Hank" Dove said grabbing his arm, but he jerked his arm out of her grasps and stomped towards him.

"Answer Me" he said trying to grab him by the front of his costume but Batman sidestepped his grab and used his momentum to flip him onto his back.

"It's not important who I am what is important though is stopping the Joker's plans before he kills anyone else" said Batman seriously and with narrowed eyes, "Now I've already set up a plan for how…"

"No. I don't think so" came Hawk's voice as he stood up "No. Screw you Batman. Since you don't trust us enough to reveal your Identity I don't trust this bullshit plan of yours to find the Joker. I got my own ideas on how to find this clown and protect my identity" he stated, bumping his shoulder as he passed him.

"Let's go Dove" he said

"Hawk maybe we should listen" she suggested

"No fuck him; it's his fault we're in this mess in the first place. If we want to find the Joker we'll just beat the info out of these Joker theme thugs we've been going up against"

"That won't work Hawk" said Batman

"You know something Bats…you don't know everything" he said over his shoulder, "Charlotte get us out of here" he growled. Misfit nodded her head and took hold of both Hawk and Dove and in a flash of pink they disappeared.

"He's being an idiot….they can't beat the Joker" Barbara stated.

"Maybe they can…Maybe they can't" Dinah replied "But beating the Joker aside he does have a point….we've been in this little corporation of yours for about 7 and ½ years and you still don't trust us enough to tell us who you are"

"I do trust you which is why I'm giving you this particular mission….it's in London helping Knight and Squire track down Deadshot who I believe will target them next" he said.

"Wait…London…No I can't go" said Dinah.

"Why" asked Batman

"Why?" she repeated with wide eyes in shock that he didn't know.

"Batman she can't go because of Lily…her daughter" said Barbara

During the 7 years of Batman Incorporated Dinah Lance aka Black Canary and Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow had finally put aside their various differences with each other and gotten married. The relationship woes the two have gone through over the years has been astounding and it could even give Dick and Barbara a run for their money, one minute they were hot and heavy with each other and the next they were cold and mean. Dinah and Oliver had tried to date other people but no one came close to the intense attraction the two shared with each other and no one else could deal with their two distinctively different personalities than each other, so a few years ago they sat down and talked about their long history. As they both expected the conversation was long and heated, complete with lots and lots of yelling at each other but in the end they decided that they wanted to try again…one last time and so far it's been working out perfectly. So perfectly in fact that just last year Dinah gave birth to their first child a daughter named: Lillian Laurel Queen.

"If the Joker has declared war on us I'm not going anywhere that's too far away from my family…I'm sorry Batman"

"I guess that leaves me ad you sis" sad Zinda turning to Helena who still had a look of displeasure on her face. She looked at Batman and then she looked at Barbara, she felt a slight pang in her chest when she looked at her friend and sister, but she pushed it aside, one of her fellow friends was in trouble and while she had issues with both Batman and Barbara now was not the time to get into it, right now the only thing that really did matter was stopping the Joker before he killed someone else.

"Fine…but just so we're clear this is not over bats once this business in London is over we're gonna have another talk and I hope that the conversation ends with you telling me who you are….especially since my ass is on the line"

"Our ass sis…I'm curious too" Zinda interjected.

"We'll discuss this later I've already scheduled you a private plane to take you to London" Batman said making his way towards the window, "Helena, Zinda…be careful. The Joker is very cunning….expect the unexpected, Deadshot probably won't be alone, on the plane I've left a few items that will come in handy"

"Yeah thanks for the heads up and for the gadgets….but I can take care of myself"

Batman nodded his head and then jumped out of the window, leaving Barbara alone with her sisters.

"I'm sorry this happened" Barbara said leaning back on her couch.

"Yeah we are too….how the hell did the Joker find out who we are" asked Helena sitting down next to Barbara. Barbara glanced at Helena and then at Dinah and Zinda, when the four of them formed the Bird's of Prey they established that there would be no secrets between them but little did they know that Barbara had been keep secrets from them for a while now. She desperately wanted to tell her sister the whole story but…she couldn't, she couldn't because she promised Bruce that she wouldn't. Barbara sighed and turned away.

"We don't know yet. All we know is that he found out" she lied.

"Do you think we have a leak on the inside" Zinda asked.

"I don't know" Barbara replied while rubbing her eyes. Dinah looked at her with a curious eye and folded her arms across her chest.

"Barb…I'm not one to pry…"

"Yeah right" Helena interrupted.

"But are you okay…you seem tired, more tired than usual"

"I'm….I'm fine it's just this Joker business, I know for a fact he was involved with my Father's murder but I haven't even found a clue as who actually pulled the trigger" she said trying to throw them off, but Dinah read her expressions and knew that wasn't the only thing on her mind.

"That's probably part of it….but that's not the root cause. There is something else"

Barbara looked up at her and then at Helena and Zinda. She let out another sigh trying to think up another lie but she had been lying to them for so long that she had practically ran out of things to say. The truth of the matter was that her mind was on Dick, seeing him not only emotionally broken because of her current involvement with Bruce, but seeing him physically broken as well. The image of him covered in blood from when Damian pulled him out of the batmobile will forever haunt her. She couldn't shake the image and it was weighing on her heavily, so heavily that she couldn't keep it secret anymore…..at least not from her sisters. She looked at them again and then swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You're right Dinah…..it's…..this thing with the Joker is worst than you think"

"I knew it" Helena said "I knew there was more to it than Bats was letting on...spill it"

"The Joker…..does know our identity but he isn't the one doing the actual killing. As you saw on the DVD he has some allies but….there is one ally on his side that's…..that's very formidable, It's some type of shadow figure…..and he's good…"

"How good" asked Dinah.

Barbara looked up at her and then she looked at Helena. Barbara was no idiot by any means, she's known for years that Helena, no matter how hard she tried to hide it and no matter how hard she denied it, was in fact in love with Dick Grayson.

"What is it?" Helena asked wondering why Barbara was looking at her like that.

"This guys is so good…..that he maimed Dick…cut off his left leg, and left hand" she answered. Dinah and Zinda both gasped at the same time, but Helena sat there in stone silence with her eyes widen, the man that she loved, had been severely injured. Dinah and Zinda looked at her because they too knew of her feelings for Dick, despite the fact that she had denied it on several cases. Helena shakily stood up from her spot on the couch.

"W-W….Where is he?" she asked.

"Helena…" Barbara started.

"WHERE IS HE!" she shouted.

"Titans Tower" Barbara replied

Helena quickly made her way from the couch and she headed for the door, leaving Barbara, Dinah, and Zinda staring at each other.

* * *

**Titans Tower**

"EASY!" Dick grunted/yelled.

"Well Dick you weigh a ton" Damian replied as he gently laid Dick down on the medical bed within Titans Tower.

"No I don't, you just need to do more push ups…are you sure the rest of the Titans are out of the building because I don't want the rest of them to see me like this" said Dick.

"Don't worry The Titans are out on Mission, the only people here are Cyborg and Ravager" Damian replied

"Good" Dick replied

**SWOOSH!** Went the sound of the medical bay doors opening and in walked Victor Stone aka Cyborg and Damian's girlfriend Rose Wilson aka Ravager.

Cyborg was the long time friend of Dick Grayson, he like Dick was part of the original class of Teen Titans. Victor was dark skinned young adult that was half-man and half-machine, and that was due to a horrible accident that he suffered in his mid teens. Victor's father who was a scientist at Star Labs desperately searched for a way to save his son but the only way to save his life after the accident was to graft the remaining parts of his body to that of an robotic exoskeleton…and so the identity of Cyborg was created.

Cyborg entered the medical bay and his eyes landed on his friend and instantly he felt for his friend.

"Dick…..how you holding up man?" he asked sadness evident in his voice.

"Seen better days Vic…please tell me you can help"

Cyborg stepped towards him and with a technical eye and inspected his missing limbs.

* * *

**Outside Titans Tower. **

From the water the shadowy figure that was responsible for the chaos that the Bat-Family was experiencing emerged. The figure stealthily pulled himself from the water and he searched the area with his eyes to see that no one was around. He stood up and eyed the Tower and quickly made his way across the rocks and towards the one of the more secluded portions of the building.

The figure hugged himself to the shadows and was about to make himself an entrance when something caught his eye. Not too far away was the Robin-cycle, the figure gave a light laugh before he made a mad dash towards the motorcycle and knelt down. He reached into the utility belt around his waist and he produced two mini bat bombs...similar to the ones Batman used to blow up his staff with and he placed the min-bombs on cycles' engine. Once he did that he ran back towards his spot in the darkness. Reaching into his belt again he pulled out a pen with a button on it, he pressed the button and a thin red laser erupted from the pen. The shadowy figure proceeds to cut himself an entrance into Titans Tower.

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

Alfred was busy typing into the Bat-computer. Under Bruce's orders he was supposed to send a message to the other members of Batman Incorporated telling them of the situation and that everything was under control, but Alfred knew better. While he wasn't clear on the whole situation he knew Bruce was in uncharted territory. The Joker was simply one step ahead of him a fact that he knew did not sit well with him.

**BEEP! BEEP! **

Alfred was broken from his inner musings by the sound of the Bat-computer beeping, he typed a few keys and a news report popped up on screen.

* * *

_**Screen**_

"_Good evening Gotham I'm Vicki Vale and I'm coming to you live with a heartbreaking murder case. Earlier today the body of Mrs. Crystal Brown was found bound and gagged. She was shot twice through the head and…._

* * *

**Bat-Cave **

"Good Lord….Stephanie" whispered Alfred. He quickly typed into the bat computer.

* * *

**Upper Westside of Gotham**

"This is not good" came the voice of Kate Kane aka Batwoman. She was crouched on the ledge of a building looking down at the streets of Gotham below. Next to her was her lover and sometimes partner Renee Montoya aka The Question. Renee Montoya was once and still is a respected Detective for the Gotham PD. She started off as a beat cop and worked her way through the ranks becoming one of the best cops on the force. During one of her many cases she caught the attention of one Harvey Dent aka Two-Face. Two-Face developed an intense and unhealthy obsession with the detective and vowed to have her, so he systematically began to ruin her life, beginning with outing her as a lesbian, after that he plant drugs in her apartment, car, and locker and top it all off he framed her for murder. On trial for Murder and in lock up Two-Face revealed himself as the mastermind, Renee of course spurned his affections and he was about to kill her but it was thanks to the timely intervention of Batman and her partner Harvey Bullock that saved her life and cleared her of all of the charges, but the damage had been done. Renee resigned from the Gotham PD and found herself at Rock Bottom. As she was contemplating leaving Gotham she was approached by Vic Sage who at the time was the Question. The Question had been following her career for sometime and he found himself impressed with her skills, so he offered her a job with him and she accepted. Vic taught Renee the ropes and helped her to better her skills as a detective, she learned all she could from him and eventually took up the mantle of the Question after Vic's tragic death.

"That is an understatement of the year" Question replied, "How the hell did you let this happen" she asked Batman who was standing on the ledge with them.

"The Joker is….." he started trying to find the words but he was interrupted.

"A Goddamn mastermind" Batwoman interjected.

"Well what's done is done…right now it's all about damage control, if that DVD we got the other day is any indication…this war is gonna get even more bloody that it already has"

"I know…which is why I need the two of you to track him down" he continued.

"You want us to track him down?" asked Question in slight shock "Why?"

"Besides myself you two are the best Detectives I have and the Joker knows me like I know him….he'll be expecting me"

"But he won't be expecting us" Batwoman finished.

"This mission…..is the most dangerous mission you've ever undertaken"

"I've fought the Joker before" Question replied

"He's not the one I'm worried about…..The Joker has a fighter under his control or under his employment that is on Lady Shiva's level of fighting"

"And you want us to engage him" asked Question again

"Scared Babe" Batwoman asked while turning to her.

"Cautious Kate…I hope it's not a suicide mission he's sending us on"

"I never said I wanted you to engage the Joker….just track him down. I can't stress this enough…..Stay as far away as you can. Once you track him down use this" he said handing them a encryption key. Batwoman took the encryption key and put it into the slot of the red gauntlet around her wrist.

"That is a direct line to me…..Once you have his location alert me and I'll be there as soon as I can"

**BEEP! BEEP!. **

Batman reached up to his cowl and he touched his ear.

"Alfred…" he started before he heard Robin on the line too.

"What is it Pennyworth"

"Master Wayne, Master Damian…..I…I'm watching the news and Ms. Vale has just made a report saying that the body of Crystal Brown has been found.

"WHAT!" they both shouted

"Yes…she was found shot to death"

"Did they mention Stephanie" Robin asked.

"No…but…."

"Alfred try to contact her…Damian meet me at her house on the double" he said ending the conversation.

"I have to go" he stated to the two women.

"Problem" Batwoman asked.

"A big one" he replied before jumping off of the ledge and spreading his cape.

The two women watched as he glided away and into the night.

"This is not gonna end well….is it" Batwoman said.

"No…..No it isn't" Question replied leaning back against the brick wall.

* * *

**Titans Tower**

"GODDAMN IT!" Robin growled. He straightened up and turned to the set of eyes looking at him.

"What is it?" Dick asked, he looked at Dick and then at Rose and Cyborg, "Nothing…..I'll tell you later. Cyborg how are we looking"

"Judging by the cut and the cauterization…..I can make mechanical prosthetics for his leg, hand and eye no problem…..shouldn't take me more than a few hours to day at the most" he answered confidently.

"Won't the other be back by then?" asked Dick

"No…they're on a mission in Metropolis…they won't be back for at least three days" Rose answered.

"Why didn't you go" asked Dick

"Because I'm not Metropolis's babysitter….I find it appalling that my skills will be wasting away watching a city where there is practically no crime at all" she answered crossing her arms across her chest.

Robin rolled his eyes and then quickly made his way towards the door.

"Listen I'll be back…I just have to take care of something" he said cryptically while quickly leaving the room.

* * *

Robin ran through Titans Tower and into the living room and towards the front entrance.

"DAMIAN!"

He stopped and turned to see Rose rushing after him.

"What is it?" he asked hurriedly

"What the hell is going on?"

"Rose…..I'll…..I'll tell you later"

"Or you can tell me now" she replied grabbing him by the arm tightly.

"ARGH!" he growled "Okay….look Rose I can't tell you everything right now but…there is something happening…..and it's tearing us all apart, one by one."

"Are you in danger?"

"Yes…..we're all in danger….right now Batman is trying to stop it….but…..I don't think he'll be able to, this is something that not even the great Batman saw coming, so it isn't something he's prepared to handle"

"Does this in anyway have anything to do with Dick's injuries" Rose asked with raised eyebrows. Damian looked at her and then he looked at the ground and released a sigh.

"Rose…promise me something, Promise me that you'll look after Dick until I get back…..okay, I need you to do this for me" he said looking at her. She looked at the haggard expression on his face and her curiosity peaked even more, but she didn't push the issue. She knew Damian well enough to know that he would eventually reveal everything to her.

"I promise….I will look after him" she replied

"Thanks" he said leaning forward and kissing her on the lips, which she returned. Damian broke away from her and he ran towards the entrance of Titans Tower.

Rose watched him leave the tower, she went over to the large window that showed the outside and she peered down towards his Robin-cycle. She saw him get on the bike and start it up. Robin gave the bike a mighty revv and he zoomed off.

* * *

**The Road **

Robin gave his bike another revv making it double its speed.

'_I can't believe Stephanie is missing….God please don't let that clown get his hands on her…_' he thought to himself, trying his best to get to her mother's house, but as he was riding he didn't notice the slight beeping from the bombs.

Robin turned a short corner and as he did that a warning sign suddenly appeared across the screen of his helmet.

**DANGER! FOREIGN OBJECTS DETECTED!** The message read. Damian recoiled slightly seeing the message, a image of his bike pulled up and showed where the bombs were. He glanced to the left to see the bombs beeping rapidly.

"SHIT!" he shouted hoping up on the seat of his bike and then jumping off just as the bike exploded in a shower of metal.

**BOOOOOOOMM!**

Flames licked at Damian as he was tossed through the air by the force of the explosion.

"ARGH!" he grunted in pain and he went tumbling across the Asphalt that was the road. He came to a sudden stop as he hit he the metal guard rail. Damian reached a bloodied hand to his cracked and damaged helmet and took it off o his head. He took a few deep breathes and relished in that fact that he was still alive.

"Oh God" he said out of breathe laying on the ground breathing hard but as he laid there a cold thought ran through his mind. The person that planted the bombs on his bike must be at the Tower.  
"NO!" he shouted sitting up; he turned his attention to Titans Tower just as the power to the whole Tower went out.

* * *

**Titans Tower**

"DAMIAN!" Rose shouted seeing the explosion on the road.

**ZAP!** Went the sound of the power going out. Rose looked around the dark living room using the moonlight for sight and that's when she saw him in the reflection of the window a shadowy figure rushing towards her with a double bladed bo staff. Rose dove out of the way just as he thrusted the blade forward getting the blade stuck in the glass of the window. Rose got to her feet to face her attacker, who yanked his blade out.

"WHO ARE YOU!" she growled putting her hands up.

"The END **HEHEH!**' he laughed before twirling his bo staff and charging forward.

Her foe was quick, Rose barely had enough time to maneuver out of the way of the blade, she then had to backflip out of the way of the side swipe, Rose rolled across the ground to give her self some space but her foe was upon her in an instant. He tried two short and quick slashes but Rose was able to dodge them both, but just barely

'_Okay that's it….time to go on the offensive'_ she thought. The Shadowy figure stepped in close and that's when she made her move. She grabbed the middle of the bo staff and quickly brought her head forward in a hard headbutt, she them delivered a kick to the stomach knocking him back.

"HA!" she yelled twirling the bo staff in her hands she was about to go for a swipe when the staff gave off an electrical charge, "ARGHH!" she grunted in pain feeling the shock. The Figure gave a laugh before jumping and landing a powerful kick to her face. The force sent her flying over the couch and to the ground dropping the bo staff in the process.

"Ugh" she groaned '_Rose…Move your ass'_ she thought to herself. The figure was in the air coming down for a knee but Rose rolled out of the way. The figure turned to the right and saw her stand up and he gave a laugh before quickly grabbing his fallen bo staff. He grabbed one end with his right hand and he swung it horizontally, slashing Rose across the stomach making a long and deep cut.

"AHHHH!" she shouted feeling the sharp blade slice across her abdomen, a hand instantly went to the cut trying to stop the bleeding, and the figure took the advantage, he then straightened up and twirled his bo staff and then slashed upwards across her face specifically her left eye.

"RAHHHHHHHH!" she shouted in agony and grabbing her left eye that was bleeding profusely.

"**HEHEHEHEHE!**' the figure laughed walking over to her he raised his double bladed staff getting ready to kill her when he heard heavy footsteps. He turned to see Cyborg charging. The shadowy figure had just enough time to flip out of the way. Cyborg came to a screeching halt and then raised his left had that transformed into a canon. Two sonic blasts erupted from his left hand and at the figure that dodged each of them. Cyborg then aimed at the ground and fired at his feet, the sudden shot at the ground threw him off balance and gave Cyborg the opening that he needed.

"RAH!" he shouted charging forward and delivering a massive blow to the foe's face knocking him back. The figure fell backwards but rolled to his feet, but as he rolled he twisted his staff and disconnected it at the middle and as he came up he threw both of the bladed ends at Cyborg and nailed him in the center of his chest, directly in his battery core.

"NO!" shouted Cyborg before he suddenly shut down. Cyborg fell to the ground with a loud clank.  
"**HEHE!**" the figure laughed before walking over to the deactivated Cyborg and ripping the blades out of his chest. He cast a look to Rose who was laying prone on the ground still bleeding.

The shadowy figure connected his blade again and then gave it a twirl before turning and walking further into the Titans Tower.

* * *

**The Road**

Robin came to a stop on the road and he took a deep breathe, after he realized there was an assassin in Titans Tower he immediately began to run back to the tower but the problem was that he was injured and he had made it a good distance away from Tower before his bike exploded. He was bleeding from a wound on his leg and his body was aching but he pushed all of that aside because his mind was only focused on two things: Rose and Dick. Robin took another step but his leg buckled and he had to take a knee.

"COME ON GODDAMN IT!" he shouted trying to force himself to move, suddenly he turned around because he could hear a car approaching. He shielded his eyes from the bright lights and prepared himself for anything because civilian cars rarely used this route.

**SCREEEEEECH!**

"Robin" a familiar voice shouted out. He looked and he saw Helena Bertinelli within the car.

"Helena" he replied back. As quickly as he could he limped towards the car and he got into the backseat.

"Jesus Kid what the hell happened to you" she asked

"No time get to Titans Tower it's under attack" he said hurriedly. Helena didn't need to be told twice she stepped on the gas and her car zoomed in the direction of the tower.

* * *

**Medical Bay**

The Shadowy figure entered the dimly lit medical bay. When the power went out emergency power rerouted directly to the medical bay. The figure looked around the medical bay for his target but to his surprise he didn't see him. He carefully ventured further into the medical bay spinning his bo staff and searching.

Dick standing on his one good leg peeked out of the grate of the med bay locker at the shadowy figure, who he knew was there to kill him.

'_I've only got one shot…..I-I….I have to make it count'_ he thought to himself seriously. He gripped the three sharp scalpels in his hand and prepared himself. He waited for the figure to pass by the locker and he quietly as he could pushed it open. Using his only leg he sprung out of the locker and expertly threw the three scalpels at the back of the figure's skull but to his surprise the figure turned and sliced the scalpels in half with his bladed Bo staff.

Dick fell to the ground and looked on in anger as the figure laughed and spun his staff again.

"Tough luck Grayson" the figure replied in a giddy tone while walking towards the fallen hero. Not one to give up with out a fight Dick tried to kick the figure with his leg but it was blocked by his foe's foot. The figure jammed his Bo staff into the ground and he stood over Dick.

"Who are you" Dick growled "Why are you doing this"

"**HAHAH** because it's fun….and because I hate you" the figure replied lifting his foot and kicking Dick in the face hard. Dick took the kick and tried to respond with a kick of his own but it was easily blocked again. The Figure then straddled Dick, who then tried to punch him but the figure effortlessly deflected the attack and landed a devastating punch to Dick's face.

"**HAHAHAAHA**" the figure laughed again as he grabbed a handful of Dick's hair and held his head up and punch him again. Over and Over again the figure punched Dick as hard as he could, but every time he punched him, Dick never made a sound. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Is…..Is that it" Dick replied defiantly spitting out blood.

"**HAHAHAHA!"** the figure laughed standing up. He reached and grabbed his Bo staff giving it a spin and then held it high in the air.

**SWOOSH!** went the door to the medical bay, the figure and Dick turned to see a bloodied Rose standing at the door. She had a large cut going across her stomach that was still bleeding heavily and she had a piece of white cloth wrapped around her left eye and the cloth was quickly turning red with blood from her left eye, but the real draw was the anger in her remaining eye and the gleam of her twin katannas in her hand.

"**Get….the fuck….away from him**" she growled.

The figure spun his Bo staff again and turned to face her.

"You caught me off guard you shadowy bastard…..but this time…this time I'm ready" she said getting into a stance.

They both charged at the same time and met each other in the middle with a might clash of metal. The figure went in and tried to slash her feet, Rose jumped and swung her katannas, the figure was able to block them but he missed the kick to his knee, his leg buckled and that left his whole right side open, Rose pivoted on her heel and swung one of her katanna's towards the his right but to her surprise it was a false opening. The figure crouched and took a swipe at her exposed abdomen but Rose was able to get her left katanna up and block the attacked. She growled in her throat and then brought her knee up and kneed him in the face, he took a few steps back but then he suddenly turned and tried a horizontal swipe and Rose was prepared for it, she jumped high in the air with both Katanna's raised ready to slice his head off, but just as she crossed her arms with the swipe he ducked and then rolled out of the way.

'_Damn he is good'_ she thought to herself turning a blocking a strike from her opponent. The figure disengaged and then twisted his staff making it disconnect.

"RAHH!" he shouted quickly lunging at her. Rose was slightly unprepared for his speed, now that he wielded the two bladed sticks his attacks were faster and it didn't help that she was already injured, but Rose was a warrior, she wouldn't let a minor thing like being injured stop her from fighting.

The shadowy figure came in the with an overhead strike that she block but that wasn't the main attack the figure came in with his other blade for a vertical attack but she stepped back and out of harm's way. She stepped forward with a thrust that he side stepped, he tried to bring down one of his blades to slice her outstretched arm off but she blocked it with her other blade and delivered a roundhouse to his side. He took the kick and tried to cut her head off by quickly swinging his blade towards her neck but Rose saw the attack coming and quickly sprung forward and head butted him knocking him off balance. She then spun around with her katanna's and slashed him across the chest and then kicked him in the chest knocking him down to the ground.

Rose took a step back and readied herself, she was loosing a lot of blood and her vision was starting to swim, Rose could feel her body becoming tired and sluggish but she wouldn't quit…this person invaded her home and tried to not only kill her but Cyborg and he was trying to kill Dick as well and that was something she could not and would not allow to happen. She took a deep breathe and forced herself to concentrate.

The Shadowy figure flipped to his feet and got ready to go at Rose again, but a voice caught his attention.

"ROSE!" came the echo of Robin's voice.

'_He's alive'_ she thought happily on the inside but on the outside her face still held her steely look.

"DICK!" came the voice Helena Bertinelli.

The shadowy figure heard the voice of the two approaching Heroes and he began to back up, he knew he would be out numbered and Rose was giving him more trouble than he had initially bargained for, this battle was lost, so he had to do the only thing left…..retreat.

"**HEHE **Next time girl…next time" he said menacingly before he made a mad dash towards the window.

* * *

**CRASH!** He burst through the window and into the cold and chilly night. He spread his arms and the cloak on his body went ridged and allowed him to glide through the air. The figure glided through the air until he reached the water and he dove in disappearing.

* * *

Rose watched him go and then she collapsed to the ground on her stomach.

"Ugh…are you alive Grayson" she asked pain evident in her voice.

"Barely…." he replied weakly sitting up; he used his right hand to wipe the blood away from his nose.

"ROSE! DICK!" shouted Robin entering the medical bay, "SHIT!" he shouted seeing Rose on the ground. He quickly went to her and turned her over, he gasped slightly at her injured eye and stomach, he cupped her face and her right eye fluttered open.

"I promised… I'D keep him safe didn't I" she replied.

Damian smiled at her but it left his face as she closed her eye again.

"NO NO NO Rose stay with me" he said frantically

"Don't…worry….B-Boy Wonder I'm not going….anywhere….I just….need to rest" she replied weakly.

"Damian she's lost too much blood" said Dick.

Damian scooped her up in his arms and took her over to one of the beds. He reached into his utility belt and he pulled out a small white package. He ripped it open and he poured the powdery substance over the large wound going across her chest.

"ARGH!" she groaned and grunted.

"I know I know" he replied trying to sooth her "I know it hurts Rose but it'll stop the bleeding"

He reached into his utility belt again and he pulled out a small red scanner, he scooped up some of her blood in the scanner and he looked at it.

"Type AB….thank God I'm O positive" he replied pulling off his arm guard and lifting up his sleeve. He quickly ran to one of the medical stations and he grabbed two needles, an IV, and some alcohol. He quickly ran back to the prone Rose and he proceeds to hook the IV up to her arm and his arm. After a tense few seconds Damian watched as his blood drained from his body and into Rose.

"DICK!" shouted Helena as she entered the Room, she gasped as she saw him on the ground missing one leg, one hand, and an eye, "Oh….my God" she whispered rushing towards him.

"Helena" he replied in shock seeing her. Helena knelt down and pulled him into a tight embrace, "Are you alright" she asked.  
"I've seen better days" he replied through bloody teeth.

"Ugh" came the voice of Cyborg as he stepped into view. Dick saw that he had a huge hole in his chest and he figured that the shadowy bastard hit him in the battery core, "Cyborg….are you alright" he asked.

"Yeah….thank God I installed that auxiliary core years ago….but since I've only used it once before it took a minute for it to kick in" he replied walking towards him.

Damian continued to watch the blood flow from his body and into the body of his girlfriend. He looked up as her eye fluttered open again and she saw the blood transfusion he was giving her.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily Rose" he said to her. She smiled at him and her eye closed again.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"She survived that night….by the skin of her teeth" said Damian "We all did"

"Who was that Shadowy guy" Terry asked.

"We're getting to that" Barbara answered "In fact we're almost at the end of the story….The Joker had succeed in causing inner turmoil within the whole Batman Incorporated group. Everyone was on high alert…to the point of panic. No one knew when or where he would strike"

"And if history has taught us anything is that people do crazy and stupid things when they panic" Damian said.

"But they had a good reason to panic though Damian…..People were dying left and right…..across the seas Batman Inc recruits were getting picked off by Deadshot and Zsasz and over here in the states we were getting systematically picked off by those two shadowy figures"

"What hold on…..two…I thought there was only one" said Terry.

"Yeah so did we…until the second emerged"

"Okay…..you're losing me here. First there was one shadowy figure and he was kicking you guys' asses thoroughly…when did the second one show up"

"About three months after the incident at Titans Tower…..after that we were all on high alert desperately trying to find the Joker, but the problem was that we had nothing to go on to find him with…his tracks were covered too damn good…almost like he had a hot line directly to all the techniques that we used to track people with"

"What did you guys do?" Terry asked.

"What we always did….we pounded on the criminals threatening anyway we could to get info on the Joker….but no one…no one knew anything or if they did know something no one was going to betray the Joker for us"

"Did Dick ever get back in the game" asked Terry

"Yes…but he was never right again. Cyborg was able to build him a mechanical leg, hand and eye but…..Dick, was never the same it was like a part of him had died…he started drinking even more heavily and…..and….the Dick Grayson I knew was no more….he was just full of bitterness and anger" Barbara answered.

"But truth be told Barbara we all were….Like we said the Joker had succeed in causing inner turmoil….all that was left was the outer turmoil" said Damian looked down and rubbing his neck.

"This is it….this is the incident that caused public to turn on Batman" stated Terry leaning forward in his seat.

"Yes it is McGinnis….it started here in Gotham first. Like I said this is about three months after the whole Titans Tower incident and this is when the second shadowy figure turned up…" Damian Started.

* * *

**Gotham PD: 2:00 am **

Two figures one a male and the other female dressed in all black with black cloaks covering their faces and shrouding their bodies hugged themselves to the darkness of the building across from the Gotham PD building. The two figures looked in all directions before they took a running start and jumped across the building towards the roof using their cloaks as gliders.

The two safely landed on the roof and dash towards the vent that would lead them into the precinct.

* * *

**Basement**

The Two figures dropped out of the vents and into the basement where they each let out a small laugh. They were standing in the center of the Bat Mechas

"You know what to do" the male figure said, to which the female figure nodded. They each spread put among the mechas and one by one they cracked open the Mechas control panel and began to tinker around with the mechanics inside.

* * *

"That's the last one" came the voice of the male

"Good...Joker will be proud **HEHE!"** the female figure replied "Maybe we could…" she started.

"No…. you have a plane to catch..."

"Yes…good ol' London…..But…I'm going to miss all of the chaos"

"I guess it's a good thing you'll be causing your own" he replied

"True"

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"** the two laughed at the same time before making their way back through the vents.

* * *

**Few Days Later**

"JOKER! JOKER! JOKER!" chanted a few thugs as the ran through the streets of Gotham breaking windows and slamming crowbars onto cars. One of the joker dressed thugs light a Molotov Cocktail and threw it into a shoe shop and made it explode.

"YEAHHH!" they all shouted.

**THUD!** The thugs turned around to see Nightwing and Robin behind them with angry expressions on their faces. Nightwing and Robin dashed forward and made short work of the Jokers before they disappeared into the night.

* * *

Nightwing and Robin stood on the ledge of an adjacent building watching the fire fighters arrive and put out the fire. Nightwing held up his left had and opened and closed it, the mechanical prosthetics worked like a dream, they acted and felt just like his real limbs, but the fact of the matter was that they were not real, which is why Dick was still having some trouble adjusting. Once he recovered from the whole ordeal he had given up the Batman mantle and went back to his old identity of Nightwing mostly because everytime he put on the costume he was remind of the night his limbs were severed from his body and he was trying to put the incident behind him, but he couldn't if he kept wearing the costume.

Robin glanced at he partner and saw him flexing his hand. The past three months had been extremely hard on everyone. First and Foremost everyone was still on alert for the Joker, second Stephanie was still missing which meant the Joker had her or she was dead, and the tension between their little inner circle was getting even more tense. Just recently they told Alfred the whole story…including everything about Tim and he was absolutely livid. Damian in all of years had never seen Alfred angry, but when he was angry it was a sight to see. He was upset at all of them for keeping something like that from him for so long and true be told he had a point they should have told him from the start. Last but not least…people were still dying. First it was Cassandra Cain aka Blackbat, the Batwoman of Hong Kong. Cassandra was a damn good fighter….she had to be being the daughter of Lady Shiva arguably the deadliest fighter in the world and David Cain the greatest assassin in the world. Cassandra put up a fight that would make her mother and father proud but she was ambushed by two extremely well trained shadowy figures…a male and female. It was almost like the two knew all of her moves and were expertly prepared for her, Cassandra put up a fight but ultimately she was killed and it was all caught on DVD and sent to the people of Batman Inc. Next it was Jiro Osamu aka Mr. Unknown, the Batman of Japan. They received a DVD again of the same two Shadowy Figures a male and female double teaming Mr. Unknown….both were very skilled, far more skilled than Jiro so he didn't stand a chance. They viscously beat him and then strapped a bomb to him and blew him up. Next it was Jason Todd aka Red Hood. Jason put up a very good fight…but in the end the two figures were too much for him and he end up being decapitated and they knew that because his head was sent to them in a box with the DVD of the whole event. And the most recent death came in the form of Kate Spencer aka Manhunter the Batwoman of L.A., she was ambushed at her home by the two shadowy figures and she was stabbed through the heart.

Seeing their friends dying was taking a huge toll on each members of Batman Inc, so much in fact that some were even talking about taking extreme measures against criminals, Batman was doing everything to try to prevent that but…he was quickly losing his sway among his franchise.

"You okay Dick" asked Robin glancing at him.

"No Damian….I'm pretty fucking far from okay" Nightwing replied darkly turning his attention back to the fire fighters trying to put out the raging fire that was rapidly getting out of control.

**DEET! DEET!** Nightwing reached up to his ear and touched the communicator.

"Nightwing" he practically growled.

"Dick"

"Helena" he replied in a slightly lighter tone, that Robin didn't miss, "How's London…have you found Deadshot" he asked.

"No….not a peep out of him….Zinda and I have been staking out Knight and Squire and Hood's spots but no sign of him. I've tried tracking him all of the ways that I know how and nothing"

"…..Maybe you need a new set of eyes" he offered.

"What?" she asked

"I'm taking the next flight out….I'm coming to London….to help you…I mean you and Zinda"

"To help us" she repeated "Dick, we don't need help what we need is a clue"

"Well to tell you the truth I need a change of scenery….Gotham…..I'm sick of looking at it"

"Dick….have you been drinking" she asked.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of the shop exploding again. Nightwing and Robin shielded their eyes from the explosion.

"DICK!" shouted Helena hearing the explosion over the communicator.

"Helena I gotta go I'll see you soon" he replied cutting the line.

"We have to help them" he said to Robin, but before either could do anything they heard a noise over head. They both looked up to the see three Bat mechas flying over head and towards the fire fighters and the police gathered at the scene.

"Nevermind" Nightwing replied, "Let's go Robin….I have to pack"

"You're serious about going to London"

"Dead serious"

"We need you here"

"Well I guess we have a problem because I don't want to be here" he replied

"Dick…."Damian started before he heard yelling. The two vigilantes turned to the scene down below and what they saw shocked them to the core. The three Mechas had landed and were attacking the fire fighters and police.

"JESUS CHRIST!" shouted Robin seeing several officers being knocked around by the Mechas.

The two instantly jumped off of the ledge and glided towards the mechas.

* * *

Nightwing pulled out several Batarangs or Wing-Dings as he called them when dressed as Nightwing, and Robin pulled out several red Batarangs. They tossed them at the out of control mechas but they bounced off of the metal hide of the robots. The Three mechas turned towards them and charged.

Nightwing and Robin dodged the strikes from the large mechanical Bat-Robots as they tried to attack them.

"WHAT THE HELL!" shouted Robin as he dove out of the way of one of the mechas trying to kick him. Robin landed in a crouch and he threw another batarang at the exposed neck of the mecha. The batarang hit and gave off a beep before exploding, the smoke cleared at the mechas' neck was blown open and electrical wires were leaking out and sparking.

"AIM FOR THE NECK!" he shouted tossing two more batarangs at the exposed neck. They hit their marks and gave a beep before exploding and blowing the head of the mecha off of its shoulders.

Nightwing nodded his head and he produced several wing-dings and expertly tossed them at the exposed necks of the Bat-Mechas.

**BOOOOM!** Went the explosions blowing their heads off.

Nightwing and Robin let out a long sigh as they saw the robots go down destroyed.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT YOU ASSHOLES!"

The two turned around to see a police officer storming up to them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOUR ROBOTS! THEY NEARLY KILLED US!"

"Sir…calm down we don't know what happen….." Nightwing started before another explosion caught his attention.

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

"OH SHIT NIGHTWING LOOK!" shouted Robin pointing upwards and into the sky. Nightwing turned to see dozens of Bat-Mechas flying through the air and shooting rockets and crashing and destroying buildings, they both could hear the screams of several civilians.

'_Joker'_ they both thought venomously.

"Listen get to safety" Nightwing said to the officer behind him, he then reached up to his ear and tapped his communicator.

* * *

**Barbara's Apartment**

Barbara was sitting at her computer typing quickly into her computer; she had hacked her way into the satellites and was trying to find a pattern of some sort, anything that would help them find the Joker and fast. She had been compiling information from all of the attacks but so far there seemed to be no coherent pattern that she could find.

"GODDAMN IT!" she growled to herself slamming her fist down on her desk in frustration, "I can't find anything…..not a damn thing….Come on Barbara…..you used to be good at this" she coached herself. She tried to take a deep breath and calm herself but it didn't help. The last few months have started to take their toll on her as well. her relationship with some of the most important people in her life was beginning to deteriorate as each day passed. Her relationship with Dick was practically hanging on by a thread as was her relationship with Helena, and Alfred. Next her relationship with Bruce was not going well, in light of all of the deaths going on she basically hadn't seen him at all. He just kept himself secluded in his cave and when he wasn't in his cave he out as Batman, she understood why but anytime she would try to get close to him he would push her away, and this was not the time to be pushing anyone away, this was the time when they needed to be pulling together and lean on each other but Bruce wasn't one to lean on anyone. A fact that she was beginning to question, as the days passed and more of her friends died, Barbara was beginning to think that they needed to let the Justice League in on what was happening, maybe with their help they could locate the Joker and put an end to this madness but she would have to go behind Bruce's back and in doing that she would burn another bridge and this is something that she didn't want to do, mostly because of the pain she's still feeling with the bridge that's burning between her and Dick. The only relationship that wasn't burning or wasn't strained was the relationship between herself and Damian.

**DEET! DEET!** Barbara was broken out of her inner musings and turned her head to her bat-communicator on her desk, she grabbed it and put it in her ear and tapped it.

"Yeah Go ahead" she replied in a tired tone.

"LOOK OUT YOUR GODDAMN WINDOW!" Nightwing shouted.

"Dick" she said in confusion

"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN JUST DO IT WE GOT A CRISIS!"

Barbara pushed herself away from her desk and went to her window, she looked out and in the sky she could see several Bat-Mechas flying over head. She scrunched her eyes up to see what they were doing and a few of them suddenly dived through the air and started firing rockets at buildings set them on fire and endangering civilians.

"HOLY HELL!" she shouted in shock "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

"Don't know…..Robin and I are out here trying to deal with these damn things but there are too many….please tell me you got the shutdown codes" he replied

"Yeah I do" she said going back to her large computer and frantically typing into the system. When Bruce designed the Mechas he installed a set of shutdown codes that can be accessed by anyone with the codes. Barbara hacked back into the satellite systems that where in space and she typed in Gotham's coordinates, she pulled up a feed of Gotham and of the flying Mechas and she quickly entered in the signal for the shut down codes.

* * *

**KABOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of one of the Bat-Mechas destroying a car sending debris everywhere and people running and screaming. Suddenly the Mechas stopped what it was doing and it's eyes began to beep and then they turned red and kept on destroying the city.

"LOOK OUT!" shouted Nightwing diving and tackling two people out of the way of a charging Bat-Mecha, "GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" he shouted to the civilians urgently.

Nightwing stood up and he looked at the chaos that happening around him and balled up his fist. He reached up to his ear and touched his communicator.

"DAMN IT BARBARA SHUT THEM DOWN!"

"I did….I put in the codes they should be de-activated"

"WELL THEY AREN"T!" Nightwing shouted back. One of the Bat-Mechas nearby turned towards him and began to charge. Nightwing saw him coming and dove out of the way again. The Mecha crashed through the building that was behind him and then turned and searched for him.

"PUT THE CODES IN AGAIN!"

"I told you I put them in already…If the Mechas aren't shutting down that means they are running on an auxiliary system…their own CPU….The shutdown codes don't mean shit now….the mecha's have been sabotaged"

"You think…..I give you two guess as to who did it" Nightwing snapped back throwing a wing-ding, but to his surprise the Bat-Mecha blocked the wing-ding with it's arm.

"I'm calling Bruce" said Barbara

"Yeah you do that Barb, in the meantime me and Robin will be down here TRYING NOT TO GET KILLED! Is there anyone left that can give us some back up" Nightwing snapped again will dodging the Mecha's strikes. Nightwing flipped over the fist of the mecha and landed on its arm, he then flipped again and grabbed hold of the back of the Mechas' neck. He pulled out a wing-ding and jammed it into a vulnerable spot on the neck and then jumped off of the robot. The Wing-Ding gave a beep and then exploded taking the head of the mecha with it.

"Yeah I'm contacting the rest of the Bird's of Prey…Black Canary shouldn't be too far away"

* * *

**Lower Eastside of Gotham**

"KE-YAH!" shouted Charlotte Gage-Radcliff aka Misifit as she punched a thug in the face knocking him down to the ground. Misfit smirk to herself and then looked around for the next thug that was charging at her, she waited for him to get close and as he came in with an over head strike she ducked and grabbed his arm and used his momentum to flip him over her shoulder and to the ground, she held his arm and then kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

"HA HA!" she laughed to herself in enjoyment.

"STUPID GIRL!" came a growl. Misfit turned to she a thug standing behind her with a knife about to stab her but before the knife could stab her a hand shot out and grabbed the thugs' wrist. He turned to see Black Canary standing there, the thug tried to pull himself free but her grip was iron clad.

"Always be aware of your surrounding Misfit…how many times have I and Huntress told you that" she chastised. Black Canary effortlessly flipped the man by wrist, he tried to sit up but Canary kicked him and knocked him out.

"Oh Come on Canary I've been outstanding so far so what if I missed one guy"

"That one guy can be the difference between you being alive and you being dead" Black Canary replied

"You're right…but don't forget…I have powers" said Misfit before disappearing. Canary smirked and turned. Misfit appeared in time to feel a strong grip on her throat.

"Powers don't make up for Skill Misfit…..remember that"

**DEET! DEET!** Canary reached up to her ear and tapped her communicator

"Go ahead Oracle…..I mean Bat-girl"

"Canary we have a massive crisis on our hands here…the Bat-Mechas have been sabotage and are attacking civilians….Dick and Damian are already on the scene but they need back up until I contact Batman and come up with a plan of action"

"Jesus…I can only guess who sabotaged it….Joker"

"That's my guest too….Dick and Damian are currently near Downtown Gotham….but the Mechas are starting to spread out…some are even over here by me, the main priority is civilian assistance…..get moving"

Black Canary took her hand off of her ear and she looked at Misfit.

"Charlotte transport us to Downtown Gotham NOW!' she shouted.

Misfit nodded her head and closed her eyes and the two disappeared in a flash of Pink.

* * *

**Downtown Gotham**

**POP! **Went the sound of Misfit and Black Canary arriving on the scene.

"HOLY HELL!" Black Canary shouted seeing the destruction everywhere.

**THUD!** The two female heroes turned to see a Bat-Mecha land behind them and begin to charge.

"MOVE!" Canary shouted at Misfit. Misfit on instinct closed her eyes and disappeared in a flash of pink. Canary executed a perfect backflip just as the Mecha tried hit her with a horizontal strike. She continued to backflip until she had created enough space between her and the machine.

'_I wonder has anyone made a terminator joke yet'_ Canary thought to herself watching the Mecha gear up for another attack.

* * *

**Nearby Roof-Top**

Surrounding himself in the Darkened area of the roof the shadowy figure watched the destruction of Gotham with a grinning expression on his face.

"HAHAHA" he laughed to himself, but then as he started his laughing he stopped.

**POP! **

The Figure stopped his laughing because of the sudden appearance of Misfit a few feet away from him. He slowly and quietly pulled out a knife that he kept sheathed on him, and proceeded to stealthily creep up behind the young heroine.

"Holy Crap!" Misfit gasped and taking a deep breathe trying to calm her raging nerves, "Jesus that was close" she continued looking over the edge of the building and at the chaos down below. She looked on as the Mecha kept attacking Black Canary who was managing to stay out of the path of its strikes, but as Canary was fighting the one in front of her another one landed behind her.

"Oh No…Canary is in trouble….I have to help her"

When the word Canary left her mouth the knife that about to be plunged into her neck came to a sudden stop. Misfit concentrated and disappeared in a flash of pink, she appeared on top of the mecha behind Canary and made it disappear. The Figure looked over the edge and down below and his eyes zeroed in on Black Canary. Now the figure knew that he was a damned good fighter but he has always wondered how his skills would fair against that of Black Canary. Even his trainers who taught him his skills held Black Canary in high regard, and her reputation as a fighter has always been world renown.

"Well Canary…**HAHA**…time to see whose the better fighter and the winner gets to live" he said to himself as he stepped on the ledge and jumped off.

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

Batman sat at his computer with a intent look on his face. He was currently watching all of the DVD's that were sent to him. He was watching the shadowy figure murder each of his members of Batman Inc, for the past few months he had been trying to figure out the Joker's plan of action and where he could be but trying to find the Joker was like trying to find a ghost, he was too well hidden, it was then that he started to study the fighter…the shadowy figure he had under his employment. The Joker was a crafty foe and Batman knew that he sometimes employed strange people under his command, so when the shadowy figure appeared he didn't think too much of it, but then he began to actually study the fighter and some things didn't add up. First and Foremost the amount of knowledge the Joker had about the inner workings of Batman Inc. Even if the Joker did know his identity it was unlikely for him to know so much. Batman stopped the video feed of the shadowy figure as he twirled his Bo staff and did a strike at a bleeding Cassandra Cain.

"No" he stated under his breathe. He rewound the feed again and he watched the move the shadowy figure did again. He twirled his Bo staff and did an over head strike. He let the video continue and then the second shadowy figure jumped into the fray and did a strike with her own bladed Bo staff. Batman paused the video again.

"Computer bring up video training feed 5,235" he stated. The computer beeped and a different video feed pulled up. It was a video of Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown in Karate gi's and bo staffs. They both took a stance and charged at their opponent which was him. Batman watched the video as the three of them were training, he fast forward to a certain section and that's when he saw it. Tim and Stephanie disengaged from and they looked at each other. Bruce was out of ear shot but the camera wasn't. Batman listened as they formed a plan. Tim suddenly charged forward in a fury of slashes with his staff and then he suddenly twirled his staff and did a strike which Bruce blocked, but then Stephanie came in with a strike to his feet.

Batman instantly paused the video.

"COMPUTER SIDE BY SIDE!" he shouted. The video of Cassandra fighting and the video of Him sparring were put side by side and they were identical. The gears in Batman's mind began to turn. All of the grief, sadness, and depression that was flooding his mind was pushed aside and he began to think clearly for what felt like the first time in years. His great mind began to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together…and it formed into a horrible picture.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted slamming his fist down onto the computer in a mixture of anger and realization. A cold shiver ran up his spine as he stood up from his seat, he looked at the videos side by side and his breath began to quicken.

"NO…I…refuse to believe it…..but the facts…..the facts add up. But I saw him…." Batman was broken from his train of thought by the blinking light on the computer. He was so focused on what he was doing he completely missed it. He went over to it and pressed it.

"Go ahead"

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN I'VE BEEN TRYING TO REACH YOU!" shouted Barbara

"I….I was busy" he replied in a low tone glancing at the video again.

"WE GOT A CRISIS THE BAT-MECHAS HAVE BEEN SABOTAGED AND THEY ARE DESTROYING GOTHAM!" she yelled

"WHAT!" he roared, "COMPUTER BRING UP FEED OF GOTHAM!"

The computer responded and pulled up images of Gotham city being under attack by his Mechas.

"BARBARA PUT IN THE SHUTDOWN CODES!"

"I've already tried that Bruce….whoever sabotage them outfitted them with their own CPU, We have no control over them"

"Damn it…we need a EMP…it's the only thing that will knock out their systems"

"Bruce…these things are everywhere…we sent them to every police precinct in the city….to shut them down we would need a citywide EMP and that's gonna knock out everything"

"I know Barbara but it's the only way"

"…..how are we gonna do that"

"I need some time, but I can outfit the Bat-Wing with an EMP that should be large enough to cover the city….but in the mean time..."

"Yeah I know save as many people as we can….I just finished suiting up, Dick, Damian, and Canary are already out in the chaos…Hurry Bruce" said Barbara before the line was cut.

Batman glanced at the video feed one last time before he ran towards the Bat-Wing.

* * *

**Streets of Gotham**

"WHOAH!" shouted Canary as she dodged another strike from the Mecha, suddenly what looked like a batarang flew into view and hit the Mecha in the neck and blew it's head off. Black Canary let out a sigh and turned around but her smile instantly left her face. Standing a few feet away from her was the shadowy figure….one that she recognized from the many DVD's that were sent to her.

"You" she stated with venom

"Me...**HEHE**" he laughed while looking at her through the hood over his face.

"I suppose you're here to kill me….just like you killed my friends"

"You're correct…I am here to kill you, so would you like the easy way" he asked and pulled out his bladed Bo Staff, but instead of twirling it he jammed it into the ground, "Or are we gonna do this…..the old fashioned way" he finished getting into a stance and holding up his fist.

"Do you really think your skills can match mine" Canary asked getting into a stance of her own.

"Care to find out" the shadowy figure replied.

Time seemed to stand still as the two fighters stared each other down and few tense seconds passed and then in an instant the two warriors charged.

Canary started things off with a flying kick that the figure ducked; he quickly turned and lashed with a side kick that would have nailed Canary in the spine if she hadn't been expecting that. She landed and caught the kick with her hands and got ready to break the ankle but in a show of agility the figure swung his other foot at her head but to his surprise she ducked his attack and as his foot touched the ground she stepped in a kick his foot from under him. The figure slammed his palms onto the ground and torqued his foot out of her grasp and then rolled away into a crouch. He stood and turned in time to avoid a powerful punch, he grabbed her arm and tried to trap it in an arm lock but she twisted her limbs and grabbed the front of his cloak and brought him in for a headbutt but he stopped the momentum by bringing up his knee to her chest. He then knocked her hands off of his cloak and went for a quick jab that landed on her chin and then he quickly backed up and started hopping on his tip toes like a boxer.

Canary rubbed her chin and then looked at him.

"Boxing huh…..well two can play that game" she said holding up her fist in a Boxer's ready stance.

The two fighters circled each other each bouncing on their toes, they both began to make their way to each other. The shadowy figure giggled and then threw out two quick jabs, Canary held her fist up to block the jabs and returned with her own jabs to which he blocked. Black Canary smirked to herself as she suddenly rushed forward with a fury of punches, the shadowy figure blocked the punches but he missed the uppercut that almost lifted him up off of his feet. That was all the opening she needed, Canary took full advantage of his momentary stunned state, she came in with a left hook that landed on his jaw, she then threw a straight punch directly to the nose, and then another one to the mouth. The Shadowy figure was on the ropes because of the quick and powerful punches, he held up his fist which proved to be a mistake because Canary then did three quick body shots; two to the gut and one to the liver.

"GAH!" the Figure grunted feeling the liver shot, even though he was wearing armor underneath his cloak he still felt the iron hard fist of Black Canary. Canary came in with an uppercut to his chin that sent him stumbling back. She charged in for another punch when he suddenly executed a backflip and kicked her in the chin, stopping her charge.

The two fighters separated to catch their breathes. Canary rubbed her chin trying to block out the pain.

'_God….is there metal on his shoes'_ she thought to herself. She glanced at the figure who was holding his side, _'That was a perfect live shot….he should be down for the count….then again I did feel that armor'_ she continued.

"Ha…you're good but your Boxing needs work" she smirked. The shadowy figure looked at her and a smile formed on his face, he secretly reached into a pouch on the utility belt around his waist and pulled out several green balls.

"**HEHE!** I think you're right…._guh!_...but what about my…NINJUSTSU!" he suddenly shouted before tossing smoke pellets onto the ground and shrouding the two of them in a strange green smoke. Black Canary tried to shield herself from the smoke but she couldn't, she tried to keep her eyes open to see the figure but he melted into the smoke and disappeared.

"ARGH!" she grunted feeling a fist landing on her stomach, next she felt a spin kick to the face, followed by a side kick to the chest and finally a palm strike to the mouth that drew blood and knocked her down to the pavement.

"**HAHAHAHA!"** came his laugh through the thick smoke. Black Canary opened her eyes and saw a shadow form through the smoke above her, she had just enough time to roll away from the strike that was meant to cave her face in, Canary sprung to her feet and wiped the blood from her lips. The figure stepped back into the smoke that looked as if it was trying to dissipate.

'_Maybe I should speed things up'_ Canary thought to herself before opening her mouth and unleashing her Canary cry.

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"**

The sonic force from her mouth erupted and blew away all of the smoke and tossed the figure back. Once the smoke cleared Black Canary saw her foe clear as day, she charged with the intent to beating his brains in.

"Your ninjutsu sucks" she said just as neared him throwing out a punch, but the figure sidestepped the punch and grabbed hold of her arm and tossed her over his hip and to the ground, Canary lifted her foot and kicked him in the face, and flipped to her feet.

'_Apparently his Judo is up to date'_ she thought to herself throwing a kick and nailed him in the stomach. He took the kick and quickly pivoted around and landed a spinning back fist. Canary lunged forward and tackled him to the ground, the two rolled along the ground for a minute before Canary rolled on top, she was about to drive her fist into his face, but she stopped because the figure's hood had fallen off of his face and she got a look at who was underneath the hood. Black Canary's eyes widen in shock as she stared at the face.

"You…..but….." she stuttered. The Figure quickly cupped his hands and slammed them against her ears and then he hit her in the throat and delivered a hard hook to the face knocking her off of him. He quickly put his hood back over his face shrouding his features and then flipped to his feet.

"Naughty Bird…you peeked" he said in a giddy tone.

"GAHH" Canary gasped trying to recover from the throat shot, she shakily stood to her feet and looked at the figure in a new light "Y-You…W-What the hell is going on" she said looking at him.

"Your death" he replied darkly. Canary was about to take a step forward when suddenly her legs buckled. Her vision begins to swim and sway and 3 images of the figure before her began dance in her eye sight.

"GUAHHH!" she suddenly lurched, she doubled over and started to cough, she coughed into her hand and then looked at it and to her surprise there was a few specs of blood in her palm.

"HAHAHA Finally….Hey Canary you remember those smoke pellets….well it wasn't smoke, it was a highly poisonous gas, compliments of Poison Ivy, the poison is designed so that the more your adrenaline pumps the quicker the poison spreads through your body" he said while getting in a stance "So…..let's get that heart pumping shall we" he stated before charging at her. Canary pushed through her strained vision and tried to dodge the attack which she did but the figure grabbed her and pulled her in for a knee to the gut. As the attack hit her, Black Canary could feel her adrenaline pumping and flowing through her veins faster. Despite being weakened she wasn't one to give up, so she took the blow to the gut but then respond by breaking his hold and deliver a hook punch to the jaw, but as the blow landed and she felt him recoil she felt her adrenaline pump even faster, allowing the poison to course even faster through her veins. Canary dropped to a knee and vomited a large amount of blood.

The figure recovered from the attack and he looked at the kneeling heroine and he could see the blood on the street.

"Uh Oh….looks the poison has reached your blood stream….looks like you're going to die Dinah" he stated in a matter of fact tone.

Black Canary could feel her body not reacting to her commands, it felt as if her limbs were filled with lead or mud. The more she tried to calm herself the more she could feel her heart pumping faster. She was going to die, she would never see Ollie again, she would never see her daughter again. Her breathe began to quicken as her lungs desperately tried to find oxygen. Her other knee hit the ground and a hand went to her chest. She glanced up at the figure before her and she could faintly hear him laughing. Growling to herself and gathering as much of her willpower as she could she sucked in some air and unleashed another Canary Cry that hit him directly in the chest. The force hit him like a truck and set him spiraling back and bouncing across the ground.

Black Canary pushed herself to her feet coughing out some more blood, she wiped her lips and shakily took a few steps forward. The shadowy figure pushed himself to his feet and swayed slightly turning to her.

"…..I-I…..might…..die…B-But….I'll…..take you with me" she said before opening her mouth again and unleashing another Canary Cry.

"OOMPH!" the figure grunted getting hit again and falling to the ground. Black Canary swayed as she walked, forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other until she stood over the fallen shadowy figure.

'_At….this…range…..he…..w-wont….survive'_ she thought to herself, "GUAHHH!" she grunted again vomiting more blood, 'C-Come….o-one…more…."

She gathered her willpower once more getting ready to unleash her final Canary Cry but just as she was about to suck in the breathe she let out a pained gasped and grabbed her chest more specifically her heart.

"GUH! ACK!" she gasped, blood started to leak out of her ears, eyes, nose and mouth, she gave a few more gasp for air and then she collapsed to the ground on top of the figure.

'_O-Ollie…L-Lillian….L-Love….you b-both…._' And with that final thought, one of the Earth's greatest fighters, and heroines, the fierce, courageous and beautiful Black Canary was dead.

* * *

**KABOOOOOOM!** Went one of the Bat-Mechas as it crashed through another building. Batgirl ran along the edge of the building and then jumped off and landed on the back of the same Mecha. The mecha recognized the extra weight and began to thrash widely; it suddenly flew upwards and towards the sky increasing its speed.

Batgirl held on for dear life and she glanced downwards at Gotham City.

'_Nosebleed'_ she thought to herself. She quickly pulled out a batarang and jammed it into the exposed neck of the Mecha and then pushed off.

**BOOOOOOOM! **

Batgirl shielded her eyes from the explosion and then flipped in the air, she spread her arms and her cape went rigid and she glided through the air, and back towards the city.

'_Bruce where the hell are you'_ she thought, but as the words went through her mind she could hear a sound through the crisp night air. She looked around and she saw the unmistakable form of the Bat-Wing flying into view.

* * *

**Bat-Wing**

Batman guided the Bat-wing towards the city of Gotham where he could see the destruction first hand. His creations were being used to cause all of this destruction and just seeing them tearing apart the city he tried so hard to protect cause him to be filled with a hatred he couldn't begin to describe. He knew the Joker was behind this and he knew it was only a matter of time before they confronted each other in what he knew was going to be the final time.

Batman reached up and pressed a button on the Bat-Wing.

"Batman to Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl….I'm in the air and I'm about to drop the EMP" he stated

"About Goddamn time…these things are everywhere" Nightwing said.

"EMP!" Robin shouted back "That's gonna knock them out but every electronic equipment within range"

"I know….but we're out of options Damian we have to stop these things now"

"Wait what about you won't you knock out of the sky" stated Batgirl.

"No….I installed a device that would keep the Bat-Wing operational even after the EMP"

"Do it then"

Batman severed the communication and he flew towards the middle of the City. He made the Bat-Wing curve upwards until it reached a certain height and then he pulled a lever.

From the bottom compartment of the Batwing a medium sized oblong device was released. The device had a timer on it and it was ticking down from 5.

5…..4….3…2….1..

**KRAZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!** The Device sounded as it unleashed a massive EMP Pulse.

The pulse spread over the entire city, knocking out the power to every building in the process. The Bat-Mechas each gave a beep and then an electrical spark happened through out their entire mechanical bodies and they fell to the ground….de-activated. Every Bat-Mecha that was flying through the air dropped like a ton of bricks to the ground.

* * *

Nightwing and Robin both released a sigh as the Bat-Mecha they were fighting dropped to the ground de-activated.

"Thank you God" Robin said

"Don't call him that" Nightwing replied turning to his partner.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" came a shout in absolute horror. The two vigilantes turned to the sound.

"It came from that way" Robin stated while pulling out a grappling hook. They both fired their grappling hooks and swung off to the sound.

* * *

Batgirl landed on a roof of a church and released a sigh as she saw the Mecha's dropping like flies.

"Thank you God" she said releasing a breath.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" came a scream in absolute Horror.

Batgirl turned around and instantly began to run towards the sound, she jumped off of the church and fired her grappling hook.

* * *

Misfit stood over the dead body of Black Canary.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she cried out again dropping to her knees and turning her over. Tears began to leak out of her eyes as she roamed over her dead form. She saw her bloodied and glazed over eyes, blood was leaking from her ears, nose and mouth and she had a sickly green look tainting her skin.

"GOD! NOOOOOO!" Misfit cried out again.

"MISFIT!" shouted several voices. She looked up as Nightwing and Robin landed in front of her and then she looked to the side as Batgirl landed on her right. Batgirl recoiled as she saw Misfit huddled over the body of Black Canary.

"NO….NO NO NO NO!" shouted Batgirl running over and kneeling, she gently pushed Misfit out of the way and she cupped Dinah's face.

"DINAH DON"T YOU DIE ON ME!" she yelled looking at her but it was too late. Batgirl let out a choked sob and tried to hold it back but the tears came flooding down her face.

Nightwing lowered his head and a soft expression formed over his face as he heard her crying. He was still angry at her but hearing her cries for her friend or sister as she like to call her started to melt his icy heart. He let out a slight sigh and he walked over towards her, he knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and they looked into each others eyes for a second before she lunged at him and pulled him into a hug, she hugged him as tightly as she could and she cried on his shoulder. Robin walked over and passed the two of them and he kneeled in front of Black Canary's body. He looked at her and he reached over and closed her eyes.

Robin looked up to see his father land a few feet away, and he could see the shocked expression on his face as well. Batman slowly walked over until he was standing over Black Canary's body. He closed his eyes for moment and then he opened them and he looked up, his eyes scrunched up slightly because sitting perched on a few buildings over was the shadowy figure, his cloak was billowing in the wind. The figure raised his hand and waved at Batman before disappearing.

Batman balled up his fist in anger.

* * *

**Present: Wayne Manor**

"What happened then?" asked Terry

"After that…..I went out and found Poison Ivy and beat her within an inch of her life, I mean I…almost killed her I beat her so bad…One of the many incidents in my life I regret" Barbara said in a low voice.

"I…..meant what happened after the Bat Mecha incident"

"The City turned on us" Damian answered.

"Damn….I thought so" Terry replied leaning back in the seat "How could they not….did those Mechas kill anyone"

"Dozens of people died and dozens more were injured…..the People wanted Batman's head on a platter after that" Barbara stated

"Couldn't you guys explain that the Joker somehow sabotaged it, that he's the one responsible?"

"We tried McGinnis….we tried but in order for the people to believe us we need one key element…but the element had been missing for some time" Damian said.

"What was it?"

"It was my Father….Commissioner Jim Gordon. My Father was always the liaison between us…the vigilantes and the rest of Gotham….whether it be the rest of the police force or the Mayor of the city. Without my Father there to put the people at ease, we quickly went from heroes back to Gotham's most wanted."

"Damn…..this is just getting worst and worst" Terry said

"You don't know the half of it" she replied "The next few days were not only the worst for Batman but also for Bruce Wayne"

"Why?" he asked

"Because…..Batman needed to pay for what his mechas did to not only to the city, but to the people that were killed and to the people that were injured"

"But the only problem…..nobody knew who Batman was…..or where the hell to find him…so they turned to the next best thing" Damian chimed.

A look of realization passed across Terry's face, he quickly glanced towards the stairs and then back at Barbara and Damian.

"Wait….you mean….." he started.

"That's right…Everyone turned to Bruce Wayne, Batman's rich benefactor for Monetary Restitutions. My father found himself in a shit storm that he could not have possibly imagined"

"And our problems were only just starting….remember we told you there were two shadowy figures…..well while we were dealing with one over here…the rest of the Batman Inc was dealing with the one over seas…and she was the one that sealed the coffin on everything that is Batman and caused everyone to turn their backs on us" said Barbara.

"How did she do that?"

"She caused an International incident…..she made it look like Batman blew up a part of Buckingham Palace in London"

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review:  Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments. I know, I know I said this chapter would be the last part but….it's not…the next chapter is the last part. Initially I thought that this chapter wasn't going to be that long and I would be able to squeeze the ending in and….I could do that but then I would have to sacrifice a big part of the story and I don't want to do that which is the primary reason why I just had to go on and make another chapter…I hate that I have to do that, but it's necessary. I know a lot of you are tired of the dark and dreariness but I promise the next chapter is the end of it….and it features the long awaited confrontation between Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and the Joker, Harley Quinn and the two mysterious shadowy figures, (Although I've dropped tons of hints and I'm pretty sure all of you know who they are now….but the big reveal is in the next chapter guaranteed). I appreciate all of you for sticking with me as I tell this tale, if you have any questions feel free to leave them in the review or in a message and I'll get back to you ASAP. **

**Ps: Also….this is very important, I really hope that the fall of Batman does not come off as a character bash on Batman because that is not what I wanted at all….its really not. I'm merely trying to tell a tale where Batman…..the most feared man in the DC, the one man that's in control of every situation, is for the first time put in a situation that he cant' control. Where all of his intimidation, gadgets, and skills mean nothing. Anyway the point is this is NOT a character bash….a friend of mine told me that it was and I had to explain to him that it wasn't and then I thought well if he thinks that then there plenty of other people that think the same thing, so I figured I'd clear it up…thanks. This is Nomad88 saying Later….**

**Next Up: The Fall of Batman part 4**


	18. The Fall of Batman part 4

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS. In fact ALL CREDIT goes directly to DC. DC GETS ALL OF THE CREDIT, they are the owner not me, I'm not making any money off of this story, no money is being exchanged or handed to me of that I can assure you. So please…please DO NOT SUE ME! Again DO NOT SUE ME! I have no money. Really, I don't….thanks. **

**Hello Readers….it's me Nomad88 back with the assured final chapter in my Fall of Batman arc….If you readers have been following you already know what's at stake and what this chapter is all about…..so all that's left to say is READ, REVIEW(A writer's fuel) and ENJOY…**

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Fall of Batman part 4**

**London: Hotel Suite**

"Dick….have you been drinking again" asked Helena Bertinelli

**BOOOOOOOOM! **

Hearing the explosion Helena quickly took the communicator away from her ear and looked at in with confusion

"DICK!" she shouted

"Helena I gotta go I'll see you soon" Dick replied before the line was cut.

Helena took the communicator off of her ear again and looked at it.

**CREAK!** went the sound of the bathroom door opening in the hotel suite, Helena turned around to she her and friend and sister Zinda Blake aka Lady Blackhawk stepping out. Zinda had a towel wrapped around her body and a towel wrapped around her head.

"God that feels loads better" she said letting out a sigh of content, "So what's the word Helena" she asked going towards her bed and lying down.

"Uh….well Dick is coming to London to help us with tracking down Deadshot" she answered while going over to the lounging chair that was in their suite.

"Who says we need his help" Zinda replied leaning up.

"I don't think it's so much to help but just to get away from the craziness that is Gotham" Helena replied letting out a sigh and leaning back in the seat.

"What's the story between the two of you" Zinda asked

"To tell you the truth I don't know Zinda….I really want us to be together….I mean we have this intense chemistry… but…."

"Barbara" Zinda finished shaking her head, "I tell ya sis….you are in one tough and complicated love triangle"

"Tell me about it" Helena

"But at least you're in something….I'm in relationship exile over here" Zinda

"What are you talking about didn't you and Hawk have a thing a few months ago" Helena asked with a smirk looking at Zinda.

"Okay first off a single drunken tryst is not a thing"

"Are you sure it was a single tryst…because by count it's been about 6 or 7 tryst" asked Helena with her smirk growing into a smile. Zinda looked at her friend and sister and she smacked herself on the forehead.

"How long have you known"

"For a while now" Helena replied "Really Zinda….Hank"

"Look it's not what you think we just get together from time to time to just…..relieve some stress….that's it. There is no relationship"

"Sure" Helena said laughing to herself, "Hey Come on….let's get ready for work"

* * *

**Across the Street**

A female shadowy figure wrapped in a black cloak stood on the head of a gargoyle with a pair of binoculars on her eyes. The female figure had her binoculars trained on the Hotel Suite that Helena and Zinda shared, her eyes never left the two of them for a second, she studied them with an intense gaze and from her lips she let out a slight laugh. A few more minutes passed before the figure lowered her binoculars, she placed them in a slot on her utility belt and then she jumped off of the gargoyle and disappeared into the night.

* * *

**Elsewhere: Location Unknown**

The Female figure landed on the ground and looked both ways before stepping towards the door in front of her and opening it. She adjusted the duffel bag over her shoulder and ventured down the steps.

The figure confidently strolled down the steps and towards another door, where she knocked three times.

**CREAK!** went the door as it open but as it open Deadshot and a dozen other men in Joker theme outfits raised their weapons and aimed it at her.

"Hello boys…..hope I'm not intruding" the female figure replied strolling in and not even paying attention to the weapons aimed at her.

"You're our contact from Joker" Deadshot stated.

"What was your first clue handsome" the female figure replied walking towards him and standing in front of his outstretched hands, on his wrist were gauntlets that produced high powered rifle bullets, "Where's my money" he asked.

"Joker told me to tell you half the funds are in that offshore account that you supplied us with…but the other half will be deposited after you help me with my plan"

"That's not what we agreed upon" Deadshot replied

"So"

"So…I want my money or a bullet goes through your brain" he growled.

"Go ahead…..it might be fun" she replied in a giddy tone while happily clapping her hands.

A moment passed between the two and neither made a move or said anything, Deadshot narrowed his eyes at the shrouded woman before him and he weight his options. He could blow her brains out and only get half the funds….or he could go along with her plan and receive the full amount that he was promised.

'_Fuck'_ he thought to himself lowing his arms.

"There's a good boy…..now listen up because here's what where going to do" she said turning to the others gathered in the room.

* * *

**Two Days Later- Private Plane**

Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne sat aboard a private plane both looking out of the window and at the beautiful and calming Blue Ocean. The past two days have been pure hell for them both in their personal lives and in their night lives. For Dick the hatred he felt had reached new heights….heights that he never thought he would ever feel but there he was feeling this intense and raw emotion. Years…..Years he and Bruce spent trying build up their reputation as heroes…..people that are trying to do the right thing that just trying to help and they succeeded, for a long time that was their standing. Heroes….mysterious heroes but heroes nonetheless and now after working so hard all of their work had been blown to hell because now they were back to being public enemies. Thanks to the Joker sabotaging the Bat-Mechas and causing irreversible damage to the city and people of Gotham. The news had ripped them all apart, calling Batman and all of his partners insane, crazy, above the law vigilantes that needed to be locked up. Dick balled his fist up as he remembered every news caption, every paper headline.

'_How dare they'_ he thought angrily while remembering everything that said and his anger began to bubble even more, "_Do they realize how much we have sacrificed….ungrateful…..do they know we are dying trying to save them'_ he thought but as the word dying crossed his mind an image of the dead Black Canary crossed his mind and he closed his eyes. When he and Damian left Gotham Barbara was still a complete mess, after he, Bruce, and Damian arrived in time to stop her from beating Poison Ivy to death she just completely retreated from everyone, he tried to be there to comfort her, but his own grief was weighing heavily on him, so he left her alone and he aboard the private Jet heading towards London. He had wanted to go by himself but Damian insisted on going no matter how hard he tried to stop him. His partner glanced at him through the corner of his eyes and he said Dick's balled up fist.

"If you ball up your fist just a little bit more I think you'll draw blood" Damian commented.

"Thank you Damian for that gem of wisdom" Dick shot back.

Damian released a sigh and turned his gaze back to the calming ocean. He knew the pain that Dick was going through because he himself was feeling the same thing only he knew how to hide it better. Dick was teetering on the edge of a total breakdown and Damian knew it which was part of the reason why he insisted on coming along with him on this trip to London. Also he was going because he too needed a break from Gotham, especially after the fallout of the Bat-Mecha fiasco and….the wrath of Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow. Damian cringed slightly at the memory of what happened before he left.

* * *

**Few Hours ago**

Batman was standing on the edge of the building across from Barbara Gordon's apartment, he saw her through the blinds of her window on her bed crying her eyes out. He let out a sigh, he wanted to go to her but he didn't know what to say to her, he didn't know how to comfort someone with sadness mostly because he himself didn't know how to deal with own sadness, so he stood, rooted in his spot letting the chilly wind blow his cape.

Batman heard a slight sound and turned to his left and his eyes landed on his son Damian Wayne aka Robin. The father and son stood on the edge of the roof both looking through the blinds of their friend's apartment.

"Dick's going to London" Robin finally said after a long moment.

"With what's going on I don't blame him" Batman replied "And I already knew that"

"Of course you did….but did you know that I was going with him"

Batman glanced at his son and then back at Barbara's apartment

"Why" he asked

"Because…he's going off by himself…"

"You think he might be targeted in London" Batman finished

"….He's already been targeted twice…if he runs into something in London he'll need my help"

"I…..no, you need to stay here and look out for Barbara and…."

"I thought that was her boyfriend's job" Robin shot back.

"Da….." Batman started.

"I'm going…..hopefully with Dick and I there we can scoop up Deadshot even faster"

**THUD!**

Both heroes whipped around with batarangs at the ready as they heard the thud behind them, but they both relaxed slightly at the person behind them, which was none other than Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow the husband of the recently deceased Black Canary. Standing at 6'1 in a green and black form fitting armor similar to theirs, a quiver full of arrows and a bow and arrow in hand. Green Arrow stood there glaring at the two of them, he strung up his bow and aimed it at Batman, to say he was angry was an understatement….his wife, the love of his life Black Canary was dead. When he first heard he couldn't believe it because of how great a fighter his wife was and her ability to come out on top in any situation, but her death was proven when he gazed upon her dead body in the morgue. Oliver let his rage take over and he went on a rampage inside of the morgue destroying everything that wasn't nailed down, but during his haze his mind grasped onto the fact that Gotham was Batman's town and if anyone knew who killed her it would be him and he vowed to make Batman tell him who killed her. It took him some time but he finally found him.

"Oli…"

"SHUT UP!" he shouted in anger, pulling on the string of his bow, "The only thing I want to hear from you…..is the name of the person that killed my wife"

"I…" Batman started

"It was the Joker" Robin interrupted.

"BULLSHIT! The Joker couldn't take Dinah in a fight….not by a long shot" Green Arrow growled back, "Try….again"

"Oliver….put the arrow down first"

"IT was someone under Joker's employment a shadowy figure….we don't know who he is but he dresses in all black and he wields a double bladed Bo Staff" Robin answered quickly

"Robin be quiet" Batman snapped

"Why….he deserves to know"

"Damn right I do Bats" Green Arrow interrupted but then he scrunched his eyes at Batman he looked at the expression on Batman's face and his body language and his eyes opened in realization, "You know who did it don't you"

"…..No" Batman lied

"Give me a name now" Green Arrow growled knowing instantly that he did know. Out of all of the people that knew Batman, Green Arrow was really the one that could see through him the most; he was far more perceptive than he let on sometimes

"I don't know"

"Batman you got three seconds to tell me a name or I'm going to beat it out of you" Green Arrow replied in a dangerously low voice.

"Oliver….I'm telling you the truth I…do not know who this shadowy figure is….but I will find out"

"You know something Batman…..I can see why you never play poker…Your Poker face sucks"

A green arrow was let loose and it rocketed towards Batman, who instantly threw his batarang and sliced the arrow in half. Green Arrow quickly reloaded two more arrows while dashing forward. Robin jumped in the air and threw two batarangs; Green Arrow held up his bow and let loose his two arrows blasting the batarangs to pieces.

"RAHH!" he shouted in anger as he neared Batman, who side stepped his attack.

"Oliver" Batman tried before dodging a strike from Green Arrows foot. Robin landed and dashed forward and delivered a kick to Green Arrow's back and knocked him off balance, but he caught himself and rolled forward. He straightened himself and pulled out two more arrows and let them fly at the ground and a brilliant flash of light erupted blinding both of the heroes.

"ARGH!" they both grunted. Green Arrow dashed towards Robin and kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could and sent him skidding across the roof. He then swung his bow and smacked Batman in the chin. Green Arrow then lunged forward and tackled Batman to the ground. They rolled and Green Arrow landed on top, he grabbed a handful of Batman's armor and punched him across the face.

"GIVE ME A NAME!" he shouted going for another punch but it was blocked by his foe, Batman delivered a palm strike to Green Arrow's mouth and then chopped him on the neck knocking him off, he then flipped to his feet. Green Arrow shook his head and got ready to string up his bow again when two batarangs landed in the middle of the two combatants. Batgirl landed in the middle of the two.

"ENOUGH!" she roared, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

"Ask your fearless leader….he knows who killed DINAH!"

"Oliver I told you I don't know who did it" Batman replied

"YOU LYING PIECE OF!"

"QUIET! Oliver listen to me…..I can assure you that we do not know who killed Dinah but we will find out, I promise…as soon as we find the Joker"

"Oh no….the Joker is mind….I'm gonna find him and put him in a hurt lock and right before I kill him I'm gonna make him tell me who this Goddamn shadowy figure is…and Batman you might have everyone else fooled into thinking that you don't know…but I know you know…and I'm gonna be back….to settle things up….of that you can be sure" Green Arrow growled.

"Oliver what would Dinah say if…." Barbara started

"You wanna know what she would say...She would say where were you Oliver….when I needed you the most….where were you Barbara when this shadowy figure killed me and what are you going to do to AVENGE ME!" he shot back. Green Arrow let out a growl of anger before he quickly turned and stormed towards the edge of the building.

"All of you can go to hell….and I will never forgive any of you for letting her die…..she died on your watch Batman…ON YOUR WATCH!…..some hero you are…and some friend you turned out to be Barbara" he said before jumping off of the edge and disappearing into the night, leaving the three on the roof. Barbara let out a sigh of frustration and she rubbed her eyes.

"Great….just what we need….some else after us" came Robin's voice as he walked towards his Father.

"Bruce…..do you know who did this..." she asked turning to face him, she looked him in his eyes "Do you know who this shadowy figure is..."

Batman stood there and looked at her

"No…I don't, Oliver was just lashing out in anger over Dinah's death" Batman replied turning away, he pulled out a grappling hook and fired and swung away.

* * *

**Gotham Cemetery**

In the dead of night Batman stood with a shovel in his hand over the grave that he, Dick, Barbara, and Damian had dug for Tim Drake. Batman raised his shovel and jammed it into the dirt and began to dig.

* * *

Batman stopped his digging as he reach the crumbling remains of the burnt skeleton, he popped open a section of his utility belt and he took out a cylinder. He bent down and scooped up some of the crumbling skeletal remains into the cylinder and he but it back into his utility.

* * *

**Bat-Cave- Hours later**

Bruce Wayne sat in front of his Bat-Computer deep in thought, reflecting over everything that has lead to this point. He glanced up at his computer and he saw that it was still processing the information that he typed into it. Once he had his skeletal sample he immediately returned to the Bat-Cave for an analysis and if the results came out to be what he expected then his worst nightmare would be proven true.

"Analysis of skeletal remains complete"

"Verdict" Bruce stated even though he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"The skeletal remains are that of a male in his mid 30 thirties"

Bruce closed his eyes as the information sunk in, the remains are that of a male in his mid-thirties…..Tim was in his early 20s, which meant that the skeleton was not his.

"NOOOO!" he shouted "But how…." Bruce growled standing up from his seat "I scanned it…I scanned it…wait. The scanner…..I scanned the skeleton in the Bat-Cave in Australia and it said that it was Tim's…maybe…..maybe it was sabotaged as well. If it is Tim that means he knew that I would scan the skeleton first…to be sure and once I was sure….I've been playing into the Joker's hand this whole time…..SINCE GODDAMN DAY ONE!" he roared.

Bruce breathe began to quicken in anger as he fit in every piece, every angle, but as he did that one piece didn't seem to fit.

"How is Tim still alive…..and why is he doing Joker's dirty work"

* * *

**Present- Private Plane **

Damian shook himself from the memory of the confrontation with Green Arrow on the roof. Once his father had left in a sudden hurry, he told Barbara that he and Dick would be leaving for London and as soon as he mentioned London Barbara remember that nobody had told Helena or Zinda about Dinah's death. He had offered to tell them for her but she told him no, she would tell them as soon as they got back. Damian released a sigh and leaned back in his chair and closed is eyes.

Dick reached into his pants pocket and he pulled out his communicator and put it in his ear and he tapped it two times.

"This is not a good time" came the voice of Huntress over the line.

"Sorry…just calling to tell you that I'll be arriving in London in another 4 or 5 hours"

"Great, I can't wait to see you…..but …now is not a good time" she replied before the line went dead.

* * *

**London- 11:30 pm**

Huntress and Lady Blackhawk were currently in the streets of London fighting several Joker theme thugs. The two heroines were patrolling the area, on their way to a pre-arranged rendezvous point with Knight and Squire when their car was suddenly rammed by a truck. A truck that contained several Joker themed thugs, the two were barely out of the wrecked car before the thugs were upon them.

Huntress and Lady Blackhawk instantly fell into the groove of fighting the thugs and was holding their own. Huntress ducked under the strike of one of the thugs and responded with a powerful uppercut. Lady Blackhawk stepped on the foot of a thug and then grabbed him and pulled him in for a knee to the groin, but as she did that another thug was trying to come up behind her, but suddenly the Huntress sailed into view and nailed the thug in the face with a flying kick knocking him back and to the ground.

"Thanks sis" Lady Blackhawk said with a smile as they stood back to back.

"No problem….let's finish this up" Huntress replied.

The two heroines proceeded to deal with the Joker theme thugs like they had dealt with dozens of thugs before them. Thanks to their chemistry and knowingness of the other's abilities Huntress and Lady Blackhawk made short work of their foes.

"Whoo…there's a workout" stated Lady Blackhawk wiping her brow.

"You said it...but this doesn't make any sense how did they know where we…." She started before high caliber bullets began to rain down up them. Huntress and Lady Blackhawk wasted no time in diving behind Zinda's black car.

* * *

Deadshot stood on the ledge of a building looking down at the hiding heroines', he took a drag of his cigarette and he continued his assault.

* * *

**Down Below**

"Holy Shit….were in trouble Helena….this asshole has the high ground" stated Lady Blackhawk lowering herself to the ground so she would get her head shot off.

"Yeah I know…we're sitting ducks….but I think I have a plan" Huntress replied eying the man-hole she was kneeling on. Huntress grabbed the arrow from her crossbow and she jammed the metal tip into the grooves of the man hole and with all of her strength she lifted the top.

"Oh….God….the stench" she said to herself while holding her nose, "Look stay here and keep him occupied while I attempt to get around him" she continued as she lowered herself down into the dark, stinky, sewer of London.

"Keep him occupied…..right" Lady Blackhawk replied

* * *

**Few feet away**

Standing in the shadow of an alley that had a clear view of the whole scene being played out, the female shadowy figure smiled to herself as she saw Huntress disappear into the sewer. The shadowy figure pulled out her double bladed Bo Staff and then she adjusted the duffel bag strapped on her back and then she proceed to sneak towards the unsuspecting Lady Blackhawk.

"IS THAT ALL YA GOT DEADSHOT! SOME KILLER YOU ARE!" Lady Blackhawk shouted lifting her head for a second before she had to duck again as the bullets increased intensity.

_'Hurry up Helena'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

**Sewers**

"God I'm gonna throw up…AH!" she shouted seeing a huge rat, "Come on get it together Helena" she chastised herself. Huntress continued to run through the murky green water until her eyes landed on another man-hole.

"I hope this is out of his range" she said to herself quickly climbing the ladder. She reached the top and she lifted the top and pushed it to the side.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Huntress poked her head up and looked around to see that she was out of Deadshot's range; she was out of the whole area completely. She quickly hoisted herself out of the sewer and looked around.

BANG! BANG! Huntress turned to the left and rand down the block but came to a stop at the end of the corner and looked up and to the right and she saw Deadshot standing on the ledge firing at the black car, smirking to herself she strung up her wrist crossbow and fired at the building adjacent to the one Deadshot was standing on. The arrow attached to the ledge and she tugged on the wire that was attached and she was pulled upwards.

* * *

"THAT'S IT!THAT'S ALL YOU GOT!" Lady Blackhawk shouted.

Deadshot took another drag and then flicked away the cigarette.

"Okay you bitch...you want my best you got it" he said to himself reloading his gauntlets, he held up his wrist and then aimed at the bullet ridded black car, "Time to die Bitch"

"I DON"T THINK SO!"

Deadshot turned to see Huntress standing behind him; she grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him onto the roof.

* * *

**Down Below**

Lady Blackhawk slowly lifted her head up and looked to see where she saw Deadshot last and to her relief he wasn't there anymore.

"Great job sis" she said closing her eyes and letting out a sigh, relaxing, and mistakenly letting her guard down.

"Oh I wouldn't relax just yet Zinda" came a voice.

Lady Blackhawk's eyes snapped open and she looked around and her eyes settle on a shadowy female figure holding a double bladed Bo Staff.

"You" Lady Blackhawk stated with venom. During their time in London, Barbara had been keeping them up to date on everything that's been going on, plus Knight and Squire were still receiving DVD's and they would tell them about each kill in gory detail.

"Me…**HEHE**" the female figure laughed before charging towards her opponent.

* * *

**Rooftop**

"BITCH!" shouted Deadshot trying to shoot Huntress but she was too quick, she jumped to the side and fired an arrow from her crossbow and nailed Deadshot's wrist destroying his one of his wrist gauntlets. Rolling into a crouch Huntress quickly dashed towards her opponent and delivered a devastating punch to his face that knocked him for a loop.

"Ugh" he grunted from the force of the blow.

"THAT WAS FOR NIGHTRUNNER!" she yelled going in for another punch but Deadshot recovered and ducked under the blow and tackled her. They rolled across the ground both trying their best to land on top but they ended up rolling apart. Deadshot pushed himself up and turned his wrist onto Huntress and right as he fired she kicked his wrist and his bullets missed their target.

* * *

**Down Below**

"AH!" shouted Lady Blackhawk as another punch was delivered to her already broken and profusely bleeding nose. She staggered back and shakily raised her fist; her opponent was a damn excellent fighter, possibly on par with Dinah. Zinda was a good fighter in her own right but she was more of a brawler type of fighter and her opponent was well trained….a far better fighter, her techniques were full of quick precision attacks that hurt badly, but despite that fact Zinda pushed through the pain from the beating she was receiving and raised her fists higher. If she was going down, she would go down fighting.

"RAH!" Lady Blackhawk shouted lunging forward with a jab. The female shadowy figure easily ducked the jab and responded with a powerful shot to the gut that made her double over in pain. The figure grabs her by the hair and throws her to the ground; she then lets out a laugh before she flips and lands on top of Zinda straddling her. The female figure raises her had and proceeds to rain blow after blow on Zinda's face. Zinda could do nothing but take the powerful and painful blows to her face. After what felt like forever the female figure stopped and she looked at the bruised and bloodied Lady Blackhawk.

"Oh Zinda…..you really should've taken Helena up on those fighting lessons **HEHE!**" she laughed while standing up. The figure walked towards her bladed Bo Staff that was jammed into the ground, she bent down and grabbed the duffel bag that she had dropped and walked back towards the motionless Lady Blackhawk. She grabbed her by the front of her outfit and dragged her towards the black car that they were driving earlier.

* * *

**Roof top**

"HA!" shouted Huntress throwing a left hook that nailed Deadshot in the jaw, she then grabbed his arm and used his momentum to flip him over her shoulder and to the ground.

"OOMPH!" he grunted as he hit the roof top hard. Huntress straightened up and then as hard as she could stepped on his wrist gauntlet destroying it.

"ARGH!" he growled out feeling his flesh being cut because to the crushed metal. Huntress smirked to herself and grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him over and held her arrow gauntlet in his face.

"I got you, you son of a Bitch" she said in a low tone.

"Okay…..you got me. I surrender" Deadshot replied in an uninterested tone.

* * *

**Down Below**

A few minutes later Huntress exited the building pushing a tied up Deadshot forward. He stumbled out and then fell to the ground with a thud.

"Easy Bitch" he growled

"Shut up" she shouted kicking him in the stomach, she then looked around "Hey you can could out now…I got him" she yelled talking to Lady Blackhawk. Huntress waited but Zinda didn't appear, she stepped a few steps forward and then her eyes landed upon a head of blonde hair hunched over the steering wheel of the their black car.

'_Zinda'_ thought Huntress running over to her. She opened the car door and she pushed her up and she immediately recoiled. Her eyes widened in shock at her beaten friend. Lady Blackhawk had a swollen eye, her nose was crooked and dripping blood and she had duck tape around her mouth.

"OH MY GOD!" Huntress shouted out grabbing at the duck tape and pulling it down, "Zinda….Zinda can you hear me wake up"

Lady Blackhawk's eyes fluttered and looked at her

"Hold on I'm gonna get you out of here" she said quickly

"I don't think so" came a voice behind her.

Huntress whipped around with her arm outstretched but what looked like a batarang flew and hit her wrist destroying the crossbow on her wrist. Huntress cradled her hand in pain and she looked up at the female shadowy figure with hate in her eyes.

"You" she growled.

"**HEHEH **ME!'

"I'LL KILL YOU!" shouted Huntress in anger.

"I highly doubt that Helena" the figure replied with a giddy tone "Especially since I have this" the female figure raised her left hand into view. Huntress eyed her hand and saw that she had a cylinder shaped device in her hand with her thumb already pressing down on the single red button. Huntress instantly knew what was in her hand, she whipped around to Zinda and gave her a quick search with her eyes and that's when she saw it, she slowly pushed open Zinda's black outfit to see a bomb strapped to her chest.

"**HAHA** that's right Helena…a dead man's switch….if you kill me I'll let this go…and boom"

"What do you want" Huntress asked

"…..My face on the one dollar bill" the female figure replied

"Why don't you show me your face and I'll see what I can do"

The female figure let out a laugh

"You want to see my face…..fine" the female figure replied using her right hand to pull back her hood and reveal her face to the Huntress, who's eyes widen in horror at the face she was staring at.

"Ste…"she started.

"NO NO…Not anymore, that name is dead to me"

"What happened to you….I heard you went missing….what did he do to you"

"He opened my eyes Helena…and he showed me the funny side to life….and Death" she said.

Huntress saw the look in her eyes as the word death left her mouth, she quickly turned towards her friend and sister Lady Blackhawk and their eyes caught each others for one final time.

The female figure released her thumb from the button.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** went the bombs attached to Lady Blackhawk.

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The force of the explosion blew the car to pieces and set it ablaze. Huntress was tossed into the air and was sent bouncing across the ground a few feet away from the car with smoke was rising from her body.

* * *

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!**" laughed the female shadowy figure menacingly as she put her hood back over her head. She stared at the burning remains with an evil look in her eyes and a smile on her face; she then turned to the motionless Huntress and let out a dry laugh.

"HEY! HEY GET ME OUT OF THIS!" Deadshot shouted referring to the tight rope that was around his body.

The shadowy figure turned to the bound Deadshot and another smirk graced her lips, she twirled her bladed Bo Staff and she walked towards him until she was standing over him.

"What the hell are you waiting for…Cut me loose"

"Okay" she replied before spinning her Bo Staff and then slicing his head off, she giggled while watching his head roll across the ground "Consider yourself cut"

"RAHHHHHHHHHHH!" came an almost primal shout. A burnt Huntress was in the air and she landed on the shadowy figure's back. The female figure dropped her staff and managed to get an arm in-between Helena's arm and her neck.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the smoking Huntress growled out applying more pressure trying her absolute hardest to snap the girl's neck.

"**HAHA** not…. L-likely" she replied while quickly reaching into her cloak and pulling out a knife and struck Huntress in one of her eyes.

"AHHH!' she shouted

The shadowy female figure took advantage of the opening and flipped her over her shoulder. Huntress hit the ground hard sparking an enormous amount of pain to run through her body but she didn't care…..her rage fueled her. She rolled over and quickly sprung up using her head to hit the figure in the jaw, the sudden strike made her opponent drop the knife. The Huntress then lunged and grabbed her by the neck and began to strangle her.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU BITCH!"

"U..GH….**HA-HA-HA**…..I-I….Did" the female figure replied despite being strangled. She brought her hands down in the center of Huntress' outstretched arms causing them to buckle inwards; she then punched her in her bleeding eye and kneed her in the stomach. The sudden strike made Huntress release her hold and the figure sprung away. The Huntress was hunched over breathing heavily, she looked up and through her blood she could see the female figure, she took a step forward and but then her injuries finally caught up to her and she collapsed on the ground.

"**HAHAHA**" her opponent laughed while slowly walking over. Using her foot she rolled the heavily injured Huntress over to her back and they both locked eyes.

"St….."Huntress started, before a foot found its way to her throat.

"That….is not…my name"

"Yes…i-t..is…..I know…you're still in there somewhere…p-please…."

"Sorry…..but everything you knew about that person….is dead" The figure replied while holding up her right hand. The Huntress looked at the outstretched hand as she could see something around her wrist.

"Goodbye Helena" said the shadowy female figure before a stream of fire was released from the gauntlet on her wrist.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Huntress screamed in agony as she was set on fire. She screamed, hollered and thrashed around on the ground.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" **

**SCREEEEEEECH! **

The female figure turned to the left to see Knight and Squire arriving on the scene on their motorcycles.

"BLOODY HELL!" shouted Squire seeing Huntress on the ground on fire.

The shadowy female figure reached into her cloak and pulled out a few black pellets and then tossed them on the ground.

Knight and Squire hopped off of their motorcycles and ran forward and into the smoke, but it quickly dissipated and the figure was gone.

"PUT HER OUT KNIGHT PUT HER OUT!" shouted Squire trying to get near Huntress but the heat was intense.

"OUT OF THE WAY SQUIRE!" Knight shouted back taking his cape off, using his cape he began to smother the fire that had consumed the Huntress, and after a few tense seconds the fire was finally put out, but the damage was done, the Huntress was burnt beyond recognition. Squire quickly knelt down and checked her pulse…..she was alive but barely.

"We have to get her to the hospital"

Knight wrapped her within his cape and hoisted her up and ran to his motorcycle.

"SQUIRE STAY FOR THE POLICE! I'LL GET HER TO THE HOSPTIAL!" Knight yelled back as he got on the motorcycle and zoomed off into the night.

* * *

**Few Hours Later: Hospital **

Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, and Beryl Hutchinson quickly entered the busy London hospital and made their way to the front desk.

"Hi, How may I…."

"What is the room number that has Helena Bertinelli"

"Are you…."

"I'm Family…NOW HURRY UP AND TELL ME!" he shouted.

"Sir…there is no need"

"LISTEN LADY!"

"Dick calm down" said Damian putting a hand on his shoulder.

"DON"T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" he yelled shrugging his hand off.

"BERYL!" came a voice.

Beryl turned to see Cyril Shelldrake aka Knight stepping off of the elevator. Dick saw him and immediately made his way over.

"What room"

"Dick"

"WHAT ROOM!"

"452" he answered. Dick passed him and got onto the elevator and right before the doors closed Damian slipped through. He eyed his brother and he could see and hear his breathe quickening.

* * *

**DING! **The elevator opened and Dick practically ran off the elevator and down the hall until he came to the door. Just as he was about to open it, the door opened on its own and the doctor stepped out.

"Doctor"

"I'm sorry but whoever you are you can not go in there…." He was about to continued but Dick grabbed him and pulled him out of the way and ventured into the room.

"HEY!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry Doctor" said Damian as he made his way to him

"I'm calling security"

"Please don't….the woman in there…..he loves her"

* * *

**Inside the room**

Dick stopped in his tracks as he saw all of the machines hooked up the body that was in the bed. He slowly walked forward and he kept walking until he was standing over Helena….or at least what was left of her. He lifted up his hand and he placed it on her bald head affectionately and he just continued to stare down at her.

* * *

**Outside the Room**

"I understand that the young man is grieving but this in no way how you treat a Doctor….I'm still calling security"

Suddenly the door was thrown open and out stepped a heavy panting Dick Grayson, his eyes were watery and they were darting in every direction.

"Dick" started Damian before Dick pushed past him and ran down the hall.

"DICK!" shouted Damian following after him.

* * *

**Roof of the Hospital**

Dick burst through the door that led to the roof and he began to suck in as much as he could. Seeing Helena…..one of the strongest and strong willed women he has ever known lying beaten, burned and broken in the bed made him feel like he couldn't breathe, like his lungs were in a vice grip and he had a desperate need for fresh air. Dick grabbed his hair, trying to block out the image but he couldn't, seeing Helena lying in the bed was too much for him to take. He could feel his rage building to the point where he just wanted to explode.

"ERGHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Dick shouted at the top of his lungs. Damian stood at the door watching his brother screaming his lungs out, he held his head low and let out a sigh, because once again…..he was helpless to help him.

* * *

**Not too Far away**

The shadowy female figure stood perched in a shaded area not too far away from the hospital, she had her binocular out and they were trained on the shouting Dick Grayson. She lowered her binoculars and let out a giggle

"Well…that is unexpected…..no matter. On to phase two…HAHAHA!" she laughed before jumping off and gliding through the air.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"I feel for Dick" Terry stated folding his arms "Seeing someone that he loved burned beyond recognition. What about you Commissioner, what happened when you found out"

"Damian called Bruce and Bruce and I immediately flew the Bat-wing out to London…..first we went to see Lady Blackhawk whose burnt remains were at the city morgue…..and then…we went to see Helena. And seeing her like that…..on the brink of death. I knew, I knew I couldn't let her die, not after Zinda and Dinah's death I would be damned if I was gonna lose another sister"

"So they did something stupid" Damian interjected.

"It was the only way Damian"

"What did you guys do?" asked

"We found a Lazarus Pitt in London and we put her inside"

"What the hell is a Lazarus Pitt" Terry asked.

"McGinnis you remember that green mystic liquid that Yinn poured on himself to heal his wounds"

"Yeah"

"Well imagine a giant pit full of that stuff"

"Schway…..that good right"

"No….McGinnis the Lazarus Pit is full of regenerative properties but whoever is dipped into the pit is driven insane"

"Wait so you guys dipped her into the pit knowing that it would drive her insane"

"Yes" Barbara stated "I couldn't let her die…I wouldn't"

* * *

**Lazarus Pit**

Deep in a cavern on the outskirts of London, Batman and Batgirl stood in front of the boiling green Lazarus Pit. In the arms of Batgirl was the now deceased and deformed Helena Bertinelli aka the Huntress. She glanced down at the dead body and she held back a sob, she then looked at the boiling pit. Barbara knew that this was wrong, every thought running through her mind shouted that this was wrong, but the heartache in her heart….the hole that was in her heart was crying out to her that this was right. The hole in her heart could not grow any bigger and she knew that if she allowed Helena to die that's exactly what would happen and that was something she couldn't allow either.

"Barbara….this is…."Started Batman

"Save it Bruce…we're doing this and once we do this we're going to Metropolis and we're gonna talk to Clark…..this madness is over" said Barbara seriously. She kneeled down and she placed Helena's body into the Lazarus Pit where she started to sink.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

George Cross aka the Hood stepped into his modest apartment and he let out a sigh. Along with Knight and Squire the Hood was the Batman of London. The Hood stood at 6'3 with an all white form fitting spandex type of costume, in the center of his chest was a red cross, the white mask over his face had a red cross in the front of it, and to complete his ensemble he had a long red hood over his head. The Hood was a strange case, he was a vigilante that was employed by the British secret service to handle mission that they couldn't handle….most of the time these cases dealt with street level stuff. The Hood was an excellent hand to hand combatant and because of this he was approached by Batman to join his cause and he accepted; he has always wanted to work with Batman. The Hood pulled back his hood and then pulled off of his mask to reveal the tired face of George Cross.

"Boy…what a night" he said to himself

**PFFTT!** Went a sound, a small dart flew out of the shadow in the corner of his apartment and it hit him in the neck. He grabbed the area of his neck that was hit and he yanked the dart out. Suddenly his body began to grow rigid and stiff to the point where he couldn't move.

"Don't worry the effects are temporary….it only last about 60seconds which is enough time for me to put this on you" came the voice of the female shadowy figure, as she stepped out of the shadows and towards the frozen George Cross. His eyes turned to her and he saw that she had a silver circular device in her hands. The figure skipped towards him and stood on her tip toes and put the circular device over his head.

"Nice and snug" she said taking a step back. George suddenly felt his limbs began to feel lighter to the point where he could move again. He stepped towards the intruder and she smirked to herself.

"Stop" she said, and to his surprise he stopped in his tracks.

"W-What….have….you done to me"

"Well George….that device on your head is a mind control device….courtesy of the Mad Hatter. Stand up straight"

George instantly obeyed and stood up straight and in attention.

"My very own mindless boy toy….oh the fun we could have, but unfortunately we don't have time for that" she said walking across his apartment to her duffel bag that was in the corner. She grabbed it and walked back towards George and she tossed the duffel bag down on the ground. George was able to use his eyes to glance at the bag and he saw some of the contents of the bag. He saw what looked like Batman's cowl and a video camera.

"Now….the fun can begin….strip" she said, and the mind controlled George had no choice but to strip.

* * *

**Streets of London: 1:00 am**

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THE JOKER!" shouted Nightwing as he pummeled the joker themed thug in his hands. Nightwing raised his bloody fist and delivered another punch to the badly beaten thug who still refused to answer his question.

"NIGHTWING!" shouted Robin landing on the ground behind him, he looked around the street to see bloody and broken bodies of several Joker themed thugs. Nightwing turned to him and Robin could see specs of blood across his face.

"WHAT!"

"Enough…they don't know where he is"

"No….They know and I'm gonna make them tell me"

"You're gonna kill him"

"And"

"And he's not the one you want to kill. These idiots need an attitude adjustment but the Joker….is the one that needs to be put down, along with Harley and these to shadowy figures and I promise you when we find them I'll help you kill them….painfully and slowly, but I can't let you kill that guy in your hand…..put him down"

Nightwing looked at Robin and saw that he had a batarang in his hand ready to be thrown in a moments notice.

"What happens if I don't Robin?"

"I'd…..rather we not go that route"

"You're defending him"

"No…..I don't give two shits about him….I'm trying to help you"

Nightwing swallowed hard and then he tossed the thug in his hands to the ground, he then pulled out a grappling hook and fired and pulled himself to the roof.

* * *

**Rooftop**

Robin landed on the roof and he walked towards the visibly tense Nightwing, he was staring into the distance at the calm night in London. The two stood there neither saying a word and neither knew how long they stood there.

"What if we never find him Damian?" he asked, "What if….we never find him"

"Dick…..we will and when we do…..he won't walk away"

"Damn right"

* * *

**Buckingham Palace**

In the dead of night a figure wrapped himself into the darkened area and he eyed the palace in front of him. It was crawling with British secret service agents, but that didn't matter to the individual because he had good knowledge of the entire area. He quickly and quietly dash across the street and made his way inside.

* * *

**Private airfield **

"I'm on the way back to Gotham…..my mission was successful"

"Good…you do your father so proud" came the giddy voice of the Joker on the other end.

* * *

**Inside Buckingham Palace**

The figure entered the palace through an unguarded vent and made his way towards the room where the Queen of England sits. As he was walking to the room he saw several British secret service men standing guard and they instantly drew their weapons and aimed it at the figure.

"Stop right there" one of the men yelled out, "Show yourself step into the light.

The figure obeyed and he stepped into the light and all of the men's eyes widen in shock because standing before them was none other than Batman.

"Batman" one of the secret service men said in confusion

"**KRZZZZZ** What's going on" came a voice over his communicator.

"Control we have an intruder in the Queen's main corridor…and its….Batman. Batman is here in Buckingham Palace"

"At 1 in the morning"

"Where is the Queen" came the voice of '_Batman' _

"That's need to know Batman…..what are you doing here"

The Batman imposter spread his cape to reveal a bomb strapped to his chest.

"HOLY! BATMAN HAS A BOMB STRAPPED TO HIS CHEST! HE'S TRYING TO ASSASSINATE THE QUEEN!" the secret Service agent shouted out.

"LONG LIVE BATMAN INCORPORATED!" he yelled before he pulled a pin on one of the bombs.

**KABOOOOOOOM BABOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

Nightwing and Robin were still standing on the roof when they heard the explosion.

**KABOOOOOOM!**  
Both turned to the left to Buckingham Palace in the distance burning.

"HOLY SHIT!" shouted Robin pulling out a grappling hook "Let's go Dick" he said taking a step, but to his surprise Dick didn't budge.

"LET'S GO!" he shouted again.

Nightwing let out a sigh and then looked at Robin, he shook his head and pulled out his grappling hook and both jumped off of the building and swinging towards the Palace.

* * *

**Lazarus Pit**

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted Helena Bertinelli as she emerged from the Lazarus Pit. She pulled herself out of the pit and she looked up at Batman and Batgirl who were staring at her, they could see the crazed look in her eyes at suddenly being resurrected.

"AHHHH!" she shouted again lunging at the two of them. Batman deflected her attack and trapped her arm behind her back and wrapped an arm around her neck, gently of course.

"Helena calm down" he said fighting against her struggling. Batgirl rushed forward and grabbed the crazed Helena by her face and forced her to look her in the eyes.

"HELENA LOOK AT ME! IT'S ME BARBARA…YOUR SISTER!"

Helena's crazy eyes locked onto the soft and caring green eyes of Barbara and she slowly started to thrash less and less until she ultimately stopped.

"B-Barbara…." Helena started weakly.

"That's right…remember" she said softly again.

"B-Barbara…..ugh" she went right before falling unconscious. Batman slowly let her go and gently laid her on the ground. Batgirl quickly took off her cape and used it to cover Helena's naked body. She then hoisted her up in her arms.

"Let's go" she stated to Batman walking out of the cavern. Batman released a sigh and shook his head and he followed her out of the cavern, he held up his arm and he pressed a button on his gauntlet and a metal down closed the entrance to the cavern and a camouflage was activated for it to blend in with the environment hiding it from prying eyes.

**DEET! DEET!** went his communicator, he reached up to his ear.

"Go ahead"

"WE NEED EVAC NOW!" shouted Robin over the line

"What's going on"

"BUCKINGHAM PALACE WAS BLOWN UP AND THE GODDAMN BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS ON OUR ASS…THEY THINK YOU DID IT!" he shouted back.

"We're on the way" Batman replied picking up his pace to the Bat-wing.

* * *

**Few minutes earlier. **

Nightwing and Robin landed on the ground, they saw the fire department and police surrounding the Palace, they nodded to each other and rushed onto the scene hoping they could do their part to help the Queen and anyone else that might have been in Buckingham Palace, but right when they neared the gate several men and women in black suits arrived on the scene and drew their weapons on the two.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" a woman shouted.

"Whoa…we're on your side" said Nightwing

"BULLSHIT! Right before the palace was blown to hell we got word that Batman was inside with a bomb strapped to himself…..he was trying to assassinate the Queen"

"WHAT? That's insane" Robin snapped back.

"Get down on the ground and put your hands on your head" the woman stated.

Nightwing and Robin glanced at each other through the corner of their eyes and both quickly threw out several batarangs and wing-dings knocking a few of the guns out of the hands of the secret service men and woman. They then ran and jumped and flipped over them and took off down the street.

**BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!** Went the sound of the gunfire that was being fired upon them. They both pulled out their grappling hooks and fired and took to the roof tops, but they several helicopters flew into view and shined their spot lights on them and began to chase after them, firing on them as well.

"GODDAMN IT!" shouted Nightwing as he and Robin scrambled across the rooftops trying to get away.

Robin reached up to the communicator in his ear.

"Go ahead"

"WE NEED EVAC NOW!"

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"Holy Shit" stated Terry

"Yeah….but that's not all" said Damian

* * *

**Past **

Nightwing and Robin jumped a gap and rolled across the roof and continued running. They both looked up to see the Bat-Wing flying into view, and without question they aimed their grappling hooks at the wing and fired. The hooks connected and they were pulled away, the bat-wing was flying too fast for the helicopter to catch up.

Nightwing and Robin pressed the retracted button and they were pulled upwards towards the cockpit of the Bat-Wing.

* * *

**Batwing**

"JESUS CHRIST!" shouted Robin as he entered the Batwing, the reason for his shouting is because his eyes landed on an unconscious and fully healed Helena Bertinelli, his eyes flashed towards his father and Batgirl who didn't say anything. Nightwing entered the Batwing and his eyes landed on Helena and they widen with shock.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" shouted Nightwing.

"We saved her" Batgirl answered without looking at him.

"NO YOU DIDN"T!" shouted Nightwing "You made her into a ticking time bomb"

"Dick…..Helena is alive, I thought you of all people would be happy" she snapped while turning to him.

"You thought I would be happy that you turned her into another Ra's AL GHUL! THANKS FOR THINKING ABOUT ME BARBARA VERY CONSIDERATE!" he shouted.

"ENOUGH!" Batman yelled shutting both of them up, as everyone fell silent the tension within the cockpit began to rise and it became so thick that it could be cut with an knife.

Batman reached over to the mini-computer within the cockpit and he pressed a few buttons and the chatter from the London airwaves could be heard.

* * *

_**Radio**_

"_This Tango 1…..I repeat this is Tango 1….Buckingham Palace was blown up in a terrorist plot to assassinate the Queen. I have received word that the culprit is none other than Batman. I repeat Batman has blown up Buckingham Palace" _

* * *

**Same Time: Washington DC: Georgetown University 8:00pm **

Sitting on a bench on the outside of the University was none other than Dawn Granger aka Dove. She was attempting to eat dinner but her appetite quickly left her and it had been leaving her for the past couple of days….ever since she heard about Dinah's death. A slight sob escape her lips as she thought about her death. When she first heard the news she was devastated, Dinah was one of the reason why she wanted to join the Bird's of Prey. Black Canary's reputation was legendary and working with one of the legends would have been a dream come true and for a while it was…but now the dream was over because she was dead. Dawn held back her tears because she didn't want to cry anymore, she had been crying ever since she heard, but now that time was over. She had made a vow to herself and to Hank that they would find who was responsible for her death, but so far they have nothing to go on, but she was hoping that would change very soon.

* * *

Hidden in the thick bushes on the University campus was the male shadowy figure and in his hands he had his sniper rifle again. He adjusted the crosshairs until they were aimed at the forehead of Dawn Granger. He had been following her around all day searching for a perfect shot and he had finally found it, she was out in the open just asking him to kill her and he obliged. He smiled to himself and he pulled the trigger.

* * *

Dawn had just taken a bite of her meal when she suddenly stopped, her eyes widen and pupils expanded. A walnut sized hole appeared in the middle of her forehead, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell down to the ground dead.

* * *

The shadowy figure laughed and then rose from his spot, he quickly dissembled his sniper riffle and then placed it in the duffel back and he hoped the fence and he ran away into the night with no one even seeing him been there.

As he was running he pulled out a phone and saw a text message. He read the message and he made a sharp left.

* * *

**Bar- **

Hank Hall aka Hawk was sitting in a bar knocking back a few shots of whiskey to drown out his sorrows. Of all the people that had been dying he never for a second expected that Dinah Lance, the Black Canary would be one of those people to die. He remembered when they received the news, Dawn had been heartbroken and he couldn't blame her, he knew that she kinda looked up to her. He tried to be there for her during her grieving period but he himself had never been could at consoling people, what he was doing now was how he dealt with grief.

"Hey Bar keep another round" he said ordering another shot of whiskey.

"Boy…you sure know how to hold your liquor" came a slightly high pitched voice. Hank turned to the left to see a very attractive blonde haired woman in a very tight red dress sitting at the bar a few seats down away from him,. Hank's eyes raised slightly at the sight of her, she was very beautiful, in fact she could give Zinda a run for her money in the looks department and she had a body that any woman would envy, he watched as she put her cell phone into her purse and then turn her eyesight back to him.

"Years of practice" Hank replied

"My name is Beth…..what's your name handsome"

"Hank" he replied

"Well Hank….would you like some company" she asked with a seductive look in her eyes.

The bartender placed the shot of whiskey in front of him, he took the glass and threw it to the back of his throat and turned to her with a sly smile.

"How can I resist the company of such a beautiful woman" he replied. She smirked and moved to sit next to him.

* * *

**20 mintues Later: Hank's House**

Hank and the woman named Beth stumbled into their motel room kissing all over each other furiously. Hank shut his door and slammed her against the wall. Beth broke the kiss and she looked at Hank.

"You know it's funny because I don't usually do this type of thing" she said to him. Hank smirked and he looked her dead in the eyes.

"I find it funny that you actually thought you could fool me Quinn" he growled. Beth aka Harley Quinn's eyes widen in shock that she had been discovered; Hank quickly grabbed her by the throat and began to choke her.

"ACK!" she gasped out feeling his strong grip. Seeing her choke brought some satisfaction to Hank, it was because of her and her boyfriend that Dinah was dead and that was something he couldn't let go.

"You….stupid little…." He growled in anger applying more pressure, he smirked a bit when he saw she was turning a bluish color "What was the plan huh…seduce me and then kill me in my sleep or kill me while I was taking my pants off"

"A-Ac..tually…it….w-was just to distract you so he could sneak in and kill you" she stated despite being choked.

Hank barely had time to glance to the right before a bladed Bo-Staff found its way into his neck. At first he didn't feel anything but shock because he had durable skin to the point of almost invulnerability completely but it seems something could penetrate his skin as felt the pain began to roll in and blood begin to shoot out.

"GRRRRRR" went Hank as he tried to gasp for air but couldn't, the shadowy figure pulled his bladed staff out of his neck and he and Harley watched as Hank fell to the ground blood gushing out of the large wound. He flopped around on the floor briefly trying to activate his Hawk personality but he couldn't concentrate. Hank grabbed the gaping neck would tightly but no matter how hard he grabbed it, the blood would not stop flowing. He could feel himself getting weaker and he could feel his body starting to shake.

'_D-on…..he-re…I….c-ome'_ he thought before he succumbed to his wound and died.

"Yeah he's dead" said the Shadowy figure in a matter of fact tone.

"What about his girl….Dawn?" Harley asked rubbing her neck and giving the dead Hank a kick in the leg, "Jerk"

"Yeah she's dead too….all that's left is the delivery….let's go"

The two murderers exited Hank's home quickly making sure to leave no trace that they were there, except for the dead body of Hank Hall.

* * *

**Few minutes later**

**KNOCK! KNOCK! **Went the sound of a fist on a door. The door slowly opened and out stepped a dark brown skinned woman, that was about 5'5 and very plump, this woman was none other than the often feared Amanda Waller.

"This better…..be…." she started. Outside of her house were the dozens of her personal guards dead or gravely injured laying sprawled out on her front lawn. Each personal guard was a trained elite and they were expertly hidden in the area protecting her house, but there they were defeated.

Amanda looked around for whoever did this but she didn't see anyone even though they could probably attack her at any point, she reached into her robe and fingered her gun but then something caught her eye, it was an envelope on her door step with the words open me on the front. She reached down and grabbed the envelope and quickly opened it, and poured its contents out into her hand. The contents of the envelope were two Computer disc and across both were the words: Batman Incorporated.

* * *

**Hours Later: Wayne Manor: Bat-Cave**

The Bat-Wing flew into the Batcave and came in for a landing. Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing with an unconscious Helena in his arms, and Robin exited the jet and they all walked towards the medical bay where Nightwing laid her down on the table.

Batman walked over to the medical station to get a few supplies when he heard Alfred call out to him.

"Batman" Alfred called out.

Batman looked up in confusion and then turned to Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin who also had a look of confusion on their face. In all of their years never once has Alfred address Bruce as Batman….it was either: Master Wayne, Bruce and on some occasions son, but they didn't dwell on it too much because they heard the other voice.

"Why don't you call him by his real name Pennyworth…..Come on out Bruce…..come and say Hi to me." the voice called out.

Bruce, Dick, Barbara, and Damian looked at each other in shock because they all recognized that voice…..it belong to Amanda Waller.

The four vigilantes slowly exited the medical bay and they came to a stop. There standing a few feet away was none other than Amanda Waller who had a gun pointed at Alfred.

"Hmph…I must say…never in a million years would I have guessed that Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne was actually the Dark Knight…..Batman himself. I almost didn't believe it but then again the facts add up. Who else would have access to that cutting edge technology you love to use so much? Who else would have the time to do nothing else but devout themselves to something like being Batman? And who else would be arrogant enough to create something like Batman Incorporated other that some spoiled rich kid who thinks he's above everyone else"

"How did you find out?" asked Batman with narrowed eyes.

Waller held up her free hand and showed the gathered vigilantes two Computer CD cases with CD's inside.

"A mysterious person shows up at my house in DC…takes apart my guards like they were nothing and he or she leaves me this…..two CD ROMs with detailed data files on Batman and Batman Incorporated" she answers tossing the discs to the ground "You can have those…..I made dozens of copies"

"Shit" stated Nightwing

"That's right, I know **everything** Nightwing…..or should I say Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon aka Oracle and Batgirl…..and Damian Wayne…son of Batman and Talia Al Ghul and the grandchild of Ra's Al Ghul, and the heir to a powerful Terrorist organization, known as the League of Shadows".

"If you're here to arrest us I can assure you that I will not go quietly" stated Robin producing a batarang.

"HAHA…oh no dear boy I'm not here to arrest the four of you no….I'm mere here to tell you what's about to happen. I'm sure by now that you've heard about the incident at Buckingham Palace….Batman blew it up attempting to assassinate the Queen of England. Needless to say that the whole goddamn world is in an uproar right about now and they want Batman's blood but the problem is that Batman is dead. Earlier a viral video was uploaded to the net…..a Manifesto if you will and it features none other than Batman saying he's going to end the oppression of the Queen and that his followers will pick up the slack in his absence"

"You're going to arrest them aren't you….Everyone that's left in Batman Incorporated" stated Batman in realization

"That's right I am….I have too. Everyone that's involved with Batman Incorporated shall be caught, tried and sentenced to the full extent of US Law and those caught across the waters shall be sentenced to International law"

"YOU CAN"T DO THAT!" shouted Batgirl "THOSE MEN AND WOMEN HAVE BEEN RISKING THEIR LIVES FOR YEARS TO DO SOME GOOD AND YOU'RE GONNA THROW THEM IN PRISON…WE'RE BEING FRAMED!"

"You and I know that but the rest of the world doesn't"

"So tell them Waller" Robin shot back

"Wouldn't help I have no proof"

"You have me" stated Batman "I'll turn myself in and explain how we're being set up"

"It wouldn't do any good Bruce…they still saw Batman claiming he was going to blow up Buckingham palace and he said he had followers…..they'll still want your followers, so even if you did turn yourself in everyone involved would still have to be arrested, plus if you're in prison whose gonna catch the person that's setting you up. Also, if you turned yourself in you wouldn't be able to get the full scope of the lesson you're about to learn"

"And what lesson is that Waller" he replied darkly

"The lesson is that you costumed morons are not above the government….for years I've watched you and everyone else that puts on a costume and parades around in the public think that they are above the system that I've spent my life abiding by and enforcing. Today is the day that everyone learns exactly what happens when you take the law into your own hands thinking that you police the world better than us..…..you fall….and you fall hard and the best thing about this is that its You….The great and all powerful Batman….you will be my shining example Bruce, which is why I'm not here to arrest the four of you….each of you has on several occasions undermined my authority and made me look like a complete fool and today is the day the tables are turned and I don't want the four of you rotting away in some prison….I want you out here…..witnessing….**The Fall of Batman**."

"YOU FAT BITCH!" shouted Robin in anger

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH BOY!…..or I might loose my temper" she stated with narrow eyes, after a few seconds she lowered her gun from Alfred and she put it in its holster, "Goodbye Batman" she replied with a smirk on her lips, she turned and began to walk towards the winding steps that took her up and out of the cave.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"Everything that we experienced up to that point had been child's play….this was the Coup de Grace" said Damian

"The next few weeks were pure hell….the worst days of our lives…everyone that we knew was being rounded up in a matter of hours because Waller had all of their names and locations. Knight and Squire were the first…then it was Batwing the Batman of Africa, then Chief Man-of-Bats…plus dozens of other trainees that they were training, Anyone that was listed on those CD's at having anything to do with Batman Incorporated. Each were apprehended and thrown in a prison somewhere under charges of trying to commit terrorism….and Hawk and Dover were murdered as well" said Barbara rubbing her eyes.

"Damn…Where you able to help any of them" asked Terry

"Selina Kyle of course" Damian replied

"Who's that?" he asked

"Catwoman….possibly the only woman my father ever loved….we were able to save her from being caught. My father forged her a new identity and gave her some money for her to start a new life"

"And while Bruce was able to save her I made sure that Helena and Charlotte stayed hidden, so they wouldn't be caught…there was an old abandoned bunker that I had that I never told anyone about….it was supposed to be my new base of operations as Oracle but I got my legs back….needless to say that Helena and Charlotte were beyond pissed. Well Helena was more pissed than Charlotte"

"Immediately after she woke up McGinnis she was beginning to show signs of instability…she was darker…..edgier….and angrier"

"But I kept her in check" Barbara interjected at Damian

"Barely….she was pissed at you the most"

"I know"

"What about the Justice League….Superman, didn't you say he and Bruce were friends" asked Terry again

"Because of that damn Manifesto left by that fake Batman…..The Justice League had no choice but to publicly cut all ties with us….For years they had worked so hard to put the public at ease about Superheroes and then just when they get ahead this goes and happens. Superman couldn't do anything, if he or any of the Justice League were seen helping us…then the government would have to take that as a sign of co-operation….aiding and abetting enemies of the state, which would cause tension between them and the government…again, and that is something The Justice League could not afford….so we were on our own" she answered.

"Goddamn Cowards…..all of them. After everything we've done for them they go and abandoned us" came Damian's voice.

"What about the Joker…I would think that since you guys have your backs against the wall…..he'd want to reveal himself"

"Look's whose starting to think like a villain" said Damian turning to him "You're right on the money McGinnis. It was about the 3 or 4 week of this and we finally got our confrontation"

* * *

**Streets of Gotham**

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" came the painting and panicked voice of Renee Montoya aka the Question. She was bleeding profusely from a large wound in her shoulder. She glanced into the driver's side mirror and she could see a figure gliding behind her. Renee had a stream of tears going down her eyes and it was because her lover Kate Kane aka Batwoman was dead, she was killed by a figure similar to the one that was chasing her. She turned a sharp corner causing her tires to screech along the ground, she swerved to avoid a car that was going too slow. She glanced at her mirror again to see the figure still gliding after her. Weeks ago Batman had come to her and Batwoman asking them to find the Joker a simple task that turned out to be far more complicated than they would have expected because the Joker covered his tracks quite well, but there was a flaw. A simple and downright laughable flaw that led the duo right towards his hideout, Renee wanted to call Batman but Batwoman wanted to make sure so they went to the hideout and they were jumped by two shadowy figures. Batwoman tried to contact Batman but her hand was cut off by one of the shadowy figures and Renee herself got stabbed, but Batwoman pushed through her pain and was able to get the attention of both of the shadowy figures while she escaped.

Renee drove crazily through the streets of Gotham trying to make it to the Gotham City PD in hopes of getting back up and medical attention.

**THUD!** Went the sound of something landing on the hood of her car.

"AHHHH!" she shouted twisting on the wheel just as a bladed Bo staff crashed through the window, but it missed its target. Renee swerved and swerved again but on the last swerve her car tilted over and flipped along the asphalt of the ground, the shadowy figure had jumped off the hood in the nick of time.

The female shadowy figure landed on the ground and gave her staff a spin before slowly walking over to the overturned vehicle.

"Ugh…..U-g-h" came the pained moans of Renee as she pulled herself from the wreckage. There was a large shard of glass stuck through her neck and it was gushing blood, she had multiple cuts and abrasions going along her body as well. The shadowy figure walked towards the crawling Renee and then flipped her over, the figure bent down and grabbed at the thin blank mask that covered her face so no one would know her identity and ripped it off to reveal her bruised and bloodied face. Renee looked at the figure with wide eyes before coughing out a lot of blood.

**WHOOOO WHOOOOO!** Went the sound of several police cars. The figure turned to the arriving police and then quickly tossed two smoke pellets on the ground and disappeared. Stepping out from one of the cop cars was none other than Harvey Bullock. He rushed from his car to the overturned car making sure to wave away the smoke. He reached the overturned car and he looked down and he recoiled in shock.

"Montoya" he said in confusion, he quickly bent down and he tried to cradle her, she looked at him and a smile began to form along her mouth.

"H-arvey…."

"Shhhhh Renee don't talk" he said while pulling out his radio "I NEED A BUS DOWN HERE NOW! 34 parkway…..OFFICER DOWN!" he shouted.

"Ugh…" gasped Renee just before she died. Harvey's eyes widen as he saw her take her last breathe.

"NO! NO! NO! MONTOYA STAY WITH ME! STAY WITH ME!" shouted Harvey at the top of his lungs.

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

A haggard and tired looking Bruce Wayne sat in front of his bat computer. On the screen where dozens of videos silently playing everything that's been going on for the past few weeks, Batman Incorporated being torn asunder. Every media outlet around the world just tearing into Batman, while it was mute he could see the headlines; some were calling him crazy and insane. His tired red eyes roamed over all of the videos and headlines but this time he was focusing on all of the headlines of another one of his members being apprehended. Bruce's face scrunched up in anger as he saw the military men throwing one of his recruits to the ground and forcibly arrests him.

The only feeling that he was feeling besides his anger which was mostly aimed at himself and at the joker was helplessness. He was helpless, virtually powerless to stop any of it from happening. He had mulled over every scenario in his head and they all lead back to him sitting there in his chair watching the events transpire before him, and as each day passed he sunk just a little bit deeper into depression, he already completely shut himself off from everyone and pretty everyone shut themselves off of him. Barbara and Dick had both disappeared after Waller had stopped by the mansion to inform them of their fate, but he didn't really care where they went, he found that along with sinking deeper into his own depression he stopped caring about a lot of things, a prime example would be when Alfred had started yelling at him to fix the current problem but Bruce didn't even hear half of what Alfred was saying, the only thing he could hear was the rapid beating of his heart, his rapid heart beating just drowned out all of the noise around him. Bruce racked his memory trying to think of a time he had ever felt this helpless and his mind instantly turned to the event that he revisited often. It's the event that jumped started his whole reason for being Batman; his parents murder.

He closed his eyes and the scene replays in his mind; he could remember vividly the cold night, the loud gun shots, his parents falling down to the ground bleeding and he could remember the rapid beating of his heart….beating so fast that it drowned out his own screams and he distinctly remembers being helpless.

Bruce's eyes snapped open breaking himself from the memory and he trained his tired eyes on the computer screen again and something caught his eye.

"Computer…..volume" he stated

* * *

_**Screen**_

"_Good Evening Gotham I'm Vicki Vale and I'm brining you a new development, ex-detective from the Gotham PD Renee Montoya has been revealed to be the elusive and mysterious vigilante The Question and along with this discovery the ex-Detective has been found dead. As you can see the totaled vehicle behind me, the Ex-Detective was in some sort of chase that ended up with her car being totaled and…._

* * *

**RING! RING!**

Bruce looked at the computer screen as the news footage was mutated again and the computer screen had a message that read: Incoming Call.

"Computer answer"

"Hello Bruce" came the unmistakable voice of the clown prince himself….the Joker. Bruce grinded his teeth and slowly stood from his chair.

"Joker" he growled out

"By now you've probably seen the news and saw that poor Miss Montoya...or the Question has met a similar fate to many of your colleagues. I know you sent them to find me….Brucey Boy if you wanted to know where I was all you had to do was ask…**HAHA!**"

"Where are you?"

"My home away from home….Arkham…..seen you soon"

**CLICK!** Went the line been cut.

Bruce balled up his fist, this was it, this was going to be the final confrontation between himself and the Joker and this would be the time he would finally lay his eyes on the two shadowy figures and pray that the facts are wrong. Bruce swallowed hard and then turned around but he came to stop when he saw his son Damian Wayne standing behind him putting on the last bits of his Robin costume.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like Father…I believe the better question is what are you doing because it looks to me like you were about to confront the Joker by yourself instead of calling for…"

"I don't need back up"

"This isn't about you needing back up it's about taking vengeance against the man that has completely destroyed us….Us. And us includes Barbara and Dick, not just you"

"All of you are too emotionally involved"

"Are you're not…please…..I can see the rage bubbling within you. The same rage that's bubbling in me, Barbara and Dick"

"Damian you don't understand I'm trying to save the three of you from something that you're not…" he started.

"The only thing you're doing Father is wasting time…..I'll be in the Bat-Wing…and I'm going to call Dick and Barbara" he said with finality abruptly turning and making his way to the Bat-Wing.

* * *

**Wayne Tower**

Dick Grayson was dressed in his street clothes and he was standing in front of a suitcase. He had decided that with everything that was going on and with everything that had happened the price of risking his life for people had become too high. He had lost everything that he had held dear and his close ties to those he had considered his family had practically been cut, and his relationship with Barbara…..was officially over. Their time together was over no matter how much he didn't want it to be what they had shared in the past shall remain there, there was no future for them beyond friendship. He had entertained the thought of getting together with Helena but the Helena that he knew was dead and it had became painfully obvious when she had awoken from her post-Lazarus Pit resurrection and he didn't want the new Helena he wanted the old Helena but she was gone. Dick let out a sigh of frustration and zipped up his suitcase. He was leaving Gotham, leaving the life of a vigilante behind him and he was gonna do it tonight.

**DEET! DEEET! **

Dick's eyes traveled to the communicator that was in his pocket, at first he ignored it but then something urged him to answer the call. He released another sigh and he reached into his pocket and he pulled out the communicator and put it in his ear.

"What" he answered.

"Dick….it's Damian. The Joker called…it all ends tonight"

"Where" asked Dick narrowing his eyes.

"Arkham…..we're on the way now"

"I'll be there" he stated before ending the call.

His eyes then traveled to his suitcase, he quickly unzipped it and he took out a few clothes until he reached the last outfit in the suitcase….his Nightwing outfit. He looked at it and he took a deep breathe.

"One last fight" he said staring at the costume.

* * *

**Abandoned Bunker**

"YOU CAN"T KEEP US LOCKED IN HERE LIKE SOME GODDAMN ANIMALS BARBARA! WE'RE HEROES NOT VILLAINS AND IF ANY OF THOSE GODDAMN GOVERNMENT LACKEY'S CAN'T SEE THAT THEN I'LL MAKE THEM SEE IT!" shouted Helena Bertinelli in the face of her sister Barbara Gordon.

"Helena listen to me you can not fight this…..the odds are too far stacked against you this is the only way to stay out of jail until I can get you and Charlotte new identities"

"BULLSHIT! I DON"T WANT A NEW FUCKING IDENTITY! I AM HELENA BERTINELLI! I AM THE HUNTRESS AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I'M GONNA CHANGE IT TO SOMETHING ELSE!"

"Barbara…I wanna go home…I wanna see my family" came the soft voice of Charlotte-Gage Radcliff

"Charlotte I'm sorry but you can't do that they probably already have your house staked out"

"Well…..well I'll call them and tell them I'm alright"

"No Charlotte you can't do that okay….they know everything about us….meaning that they know all of our tricks and secret signals that we use. They'll trace it back to this place and they'll scoop you and Helena up and throw you in prison" answered Barbara

"Why just us Barb…."asked Helena in a suspicious tone "Why will they take us to Prison….why not you…and why not the Bat for that matter. Did you strike some sort of deal with them…did you betray us Barb….huh. Our freedom for yours"

"Helena would you listen to yourself NO! No I did no such thing. I told you already that Waller wants me to suffer….she wants us all to suffer…"

**DEET! DEET!** went Barbara's communicator. She let out a sigh of frustration and then she grabbed it and put it in her ear.

"This is not a good time"

"Joker called….he wants to meet" came Damian's voice

"Where?" asked Barbara her tone darkening instantly

"Arkham. We're in route…so is Dick"

"I'm on my way" she said before ending the call, she turned her attention back to Helena and Charlotte.

"I have to go" she replied pulling her mask over her face.

"Of course…..Listen Barbara I'm not going to stay here"

"Helena…..just do as I say I'm trying to…" she started

"You know something Barb. For years we've always been listening to you…. doing things your way…abiding by your rules, and look at where it's gotten us. I'm sick of doing things your way…I got some ideas of my own and I'm gonna starting doing things **My Way" **

"Helena…please. We'll continue this when I get back, just stay here" Barbara replied walking over to her motorcycle. She hopped on and revved the engine and sped out of the abandoned bunker.

"Helena….I-I…want to go home….I'm"

"Shhhhhhhh….dear sister it'll be okay I promise" said Helena walking over to her and sitting down next to her.

"Do you really think she betrayed us" asked Charlotte turning to her.

"Yes, I do. But don't worry though Charlotte, Big sister is gonna make everything better…just you wait".

Charlotte wiped her eyes and then laid her head on Helena's shoulder. Helena reached up and began to gently pat her head and stare angrily at the exit Barbara just went through.

* * *

**Arkham Asylum**

The half destroyed Asylum sat on the hill, being illuminated by the moonlight. The moonlight shined its light on the rotting and dilapidated Asylum.

Standing in front of the blown open entrance was Batman and Robin, the stood rooted in their spots peering into the darkened Asylum both surging with anticipation for this long overdue confrontation…..the last confrontation.

**VROOOOOM! VROOOOM!** They both turned to see Nightwing and Batgirl arriving on the scene on their bat-cycles. The two turned off their bikes and put them on their kick stands. They slowly walked towards Batman and Robin and stood next to them staring at the entrance of the Asylum.

"This is it" stated Nightwing taking a step forward and into the Asylum and he was closely followed by Batman, Batgirl, and then Robin.

* * *

**Inside Arkham**

The four vigilantes walked through the Asylum and they could see that the floor was lined with green and red arrows pointing them in the direction that they were supposed to go, and the four followed unafraid. They weren't afraid but they were anxious…..each and everyone one of them had been dreaming about this final meeting. Dreaming about what they would say, about what they would do and now…..now the dream has become the reality.

They continued to follow the arrows until they reach a door that had theater room written across it in red paint. The theater room was actually the rec room where the inmates used to be gathered to watch movies or TV once a week. They each sucked in a breath and then opened the door.

* * *

**Rec Room**

A big makeshift movie screen was first thing they saw when they entered the large and spacious room. Suddenly the lights begin to dim and a movie reel begins to sound and in the middle of the screen numbers start counting down from five to zero.

5…4…3….2…1

An image of Tim Drake with a bullet through his skull could be seen; the image alone sent a spike of anger through the veins of the gathered heroes. The deceased Tim Drake was laying on table strapped down with metal restraints on his arms, legs, and neck. From the giant hole in the ceiling of the Rec Room the two shadowy figures drop down and in front of the screen.

**CLANK!** The heroes turned around to see a metal grate lower down over the door preventing them from escaping.

"AHEM! Greetings Batman. Long time no see" came the Joker's voice from what seemed like everywhere, "Welcome all to Joker's family memories….HARLEY!"

"Yes Mr. J."

"Press Play"

The movie playing on the screen began to play again and the camera suddenly shifts from the dead Tim to the smiling face of the Joker and then upwards to what looked like a vat suspended over Tim.

"Oh goody….see here Batman…this is the birth of my son Joker Jr…..watch closely" came the giddy voice of the Joker.

The vat began to tip until a familiar green liquid poured all over Tim's body, the green liquid began to heal Tim's wounds and then his eyes suddenly snapped open and he began to scream in a crazed like state.

'_Joker found a Lazarus Pit'_ thought Batman in shock seeing Tim go from being dead to alive.

"Once…dear Tim was brought back to the land of the living he wasn't quite like the son I wanted, so as any good parent I began to mold him into the ideal son….but before I could do that I had to beat that old training out of him"

* * *

_**Video**_

"_TELL ME ABOUT BATMAN INCORPORATED!" shouted the Joker before stabbing Tim in the leg. _

"_ARGHHHH! SCREW YOU!" he shouted back which earned him another stab. _

* * *

"Oh this went on for a while Bats…he put up a good fight…..but, eventual my….brand of parenting began to sink into the boys skull and he began to share many secrets with me….not just about you Bruce….but about all of you….Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne"

"No" whispered Batgirl as she continued to watch the horrible scenes of the movie playing.

"And once his spirit was broken Bruce…..it was then a matter of….building his spirit back up into something better…..something…funnier"

Their eyes widen as they saw the camera go towards the vat again, they see that Harley begins to fill the vat with a strange chemicals. Once that was finished Harley with the camera in tow went back towards the strapped down Tim. The Joker then made the vat tip again and the chemicals flowed out and onto Tim who yelled out in agony.

"As you can see…..I introduce dear Tim to the same chemicals that created me and well…the rest is history"

"No" whispered Batgirl in horror.

The male figure standing in front of them removed his hood and revealed the face of Tim Drake but only he had chalk white skin, ruby red lips and green hair.

"**HAHAHAHAHA!**" came the Joker's laugh.

Nightwing fell to his knees as he laid eyes on Tim. He, Robin and Batgirl felt like they had been hit by a tidal wave, the revelation that the shadowy figure that they have been hating with a passion for so long was their own friend and ally, but the more they thought about it the more it started to make sense. How the Joker was always one step ahead of them, how he was able to plan everything so meticulously…he had his own personal hot line to their whole operation.

"That's right folks allow me to re-introduce you to the new and improved Timothy Drake…or as I like to call him…Joker Jr."

"Tim" Batman said in a low sad voice.

"Hiya Bruce….but the names not Tim….its Joker" he stated.

"Wait….so that means…..Stephanie" Robin said turning to the second shadowy figure.

The film suddenly switched to another scene of a screaming and writhing Stephanie Brown. It looked like she was strapped down to the same table and was being tortured by Joker and Harley.

"Oh yes, Stephanie…..well you see while it was fun for me to have a son….Harley wanted a daughter so we figured we'd borrow another one of your kids Bruce..**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**" he laughed.

The female figure stepped forward and removed her hood to reveal the face of Stephanie Brown. She had black and red hair, chalk white skin, and ruby red lips.

**RIP!** Suddenly a section of the screen was ripped and from a blown out hole behind the screen out stepped their enemies…..The Joker and Harley Quinn and both were smiling.

"Look at us…..one big happy family" commented Harley running her hand through Stephanie's hair "Joker Jr. and Harley Jr."

The Joker let out a dry laugh and then turned his eye sight back to the four vigilantes who seemed to be ready to explode and they did.

"RAHHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin at the same time, and without thinking charged forward

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHH!"** laughed the Joker seeing them charge. Tim, Stephanie, and Harley charged forward at the vigilantes and met them in the middle.

Tim and Stephanie brandished their double bladed Bo Staffs. Tim jumped in the air and came down with an overhead strike at Batman who had just enough time to deflect the strike with his fins. Tim landed and spun his blade at Nightwing who pulled out his escrima stick and blocked the strike.

Stephanie thrusted her staff out at Robin who used his fins to deflect the strike as well, he tried to grab the staff but she lifted her foot and nailed him in the face.  
Batgirl was about to come in on Stephanie with a strike but she had to duck to avoid a flying kick from Harley. Harley landed and spun around quickly and delivered a hard roundhouse to Batgirl's face and sent her skidding back.

While all of this was going on the Joker stood in the background Laughing and Laughing and Laughing.

* * *

**Batman and Nightwing**

Tim twirled his Bo Staff and did two quick slashes at Nightwing and then turned and did a slash at Batman who jumped back to avoid the blade.

"Tim…..stop this fight through it" Batman said avoiding a kick

"Tim is gone Bruce…there is only Joker" he replied letting out a laugh and reaching into his cloak, with his right hand he pulled out several batarangs and threw them, they landed in front of Batman and Nightwing and exploded letting out a flash of light blinding them for a second allowing Tim to slash Batman across his chest destroying some of his armor and then landing a powerful kick to Nightwing's face that drew blood.

* * *

**Robin**

Robin ducked and then rolled to the side to avoid Stephanie blade, but she pivoted and swung her bladed trying to chop his head off but he managed to avoid it again. He quickly pulled out two batarangs and used the sharp ends to block another strike from her bladed Bo-Staff.

"STEPHANINE STOP THIS!" he shouted crossing the batarangs in front of his chest stopping a forward lunge. But she didn't listen to him and pressed her attack; she pulled back and lashed out with a kick that Robin blocked with his arm.

"Stephanie's Gone Damian…..name's Harley now" she replied with a smile. She suddenly thrusted her right arm forward and a stream of fire was unleashed from the device on her wrist. Robin's eyes widen and he had just enough time to swing his cape in the line of the fire intercepting the flames. His cape was set ablaze but he was able to disconnect it and let it fall to the ground. He backflipped and then tossed a batarang at her wrist destroying the gauntlet on her hand.

"**HEHE!** YAHHH!" she yelled jumping in the air towards him.

* * *

**Batgirl**

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS HARLEY!" shouted Batgirl landing a punch to Harley's face, she took the blow and responded with a punch of her own that hit Batgirl on the jaw.

"Okay…..I'll admit at first I was little uneasy about the stuff Mista J was doing but hey…I'm not getting any younger and I wanted a family and now I got one" she replied bringing her leg down in an axe kick which Batgirl blocked. She then crouched down and tried to sweep Harley's leg but the other woman's agility far exceeded her own. She hopped up and bent backwards onto her hands and then spun and kicked Batgirl in the face.

Harley sprung up and landed in a crouch and smirked at Batgirl who was wiping some blood off of her lips.

"Aww did that hurt Bat-skank" taunted Harley. Batgirl looked at her with hate in her eyes and secretly reached into a compartment in her utility belt.

"Not as much as THIS!" she shouted tossing several vials at Harley who raised her arm. The vials hit her arms and started to burn through her red and black costume and then burn her skin.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Harley screamed feeling the acid searing her flesh. Batgirl growled and then charged forward and speared her in the stomach knocking her down. She rose up and grabbed a handful of Harley's hair and punch her as hard as she could, she raised her fist again and punched her across the face again but this time she could feel the cartilage in Harley's nose breaking, if this had been any other person Batgirl would have stopped even after the broke nose that was bleeding heavily she didn't want to stop, so she didn't she kept punching and punching Harley as hard as she could and as she did that flashes of her friends and her father passed across her mind.

* * *

The Joker was standing apart from the fighting enjoying the show, when his eyes landed on Harley being beaten to death by Batgirl. He watched a tad bit longer than he should have and he released a sigh.

"I suppose I do have to help her…..protecting my investment after all" he said to himself before letting out a laugh. He pushed apart his black trench coat and he reached for the magnum sticking out of his pants. He grabbed the handle of the magnum and he pulled it out to reveal an extremely long barrel, he aimed it at Batgirl and he pulled the trigger with the recoil knocking him back a few inches.

* * *

**Robin**

"HA!" shouted Robin punching Stephanie in the face, and then kicking her in the stomach.

"ARGHHHHHH!" came a shout. Robin turned to see Batgirl get hit in the chest and go flying back.

"NO!" he shouted, tossing a batarang at the Joker's gun knocking it out of his hands and skidding across the ground.

He attempted to run towards her but he was tackled from the side by Stephanie

* * *

**Batman and Nightwing**

"BATGIRL!" shouted Batman and Nightwing at the same time but they didn't have time to check because Tim was upon them again, he had disconnected his Bo-Staff was not wielding two bladed escrima sticks. His two opponents were sporting many cuts and each of the cuts were bleeding.

Even Batman who was regarded as one of the world's greatest fighters was cut in many places. Tim Drake, before he was changed into the Joker's lackey was an astounding fighter…he was trained not only by Batman, but by Nightwing, and Lady Shiva herself, plus Tim studied many styles on his own and the results of all that training was a damn good fighter but thanks to Bruce's teachings and his upbringing he was a restrained fighter always taught to use the necessary amount of force but now…now that restraint was gone….that limitation on his abilities was non-existent, Tim was unleashed and the results were that he was an efficient and deadly opponent and possibly even better than Batman and Nightwing combined.

The two were hard pressed to keep their limbs in tact with the way he handled those blades.

"Tim….listen to me…..GODDAMN IT I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE SOMEWHERE!" shouted Nightwing breathing heavily, he was holding up his bleeding fist and trying to anticipate the next attack.

"Sorry Bird boy but Tim is gone….**HEHE!** Only Joker remains and I have to say…..it feels good" he replied gearing up for an attack, but then something made him stop. Batman reached up and pulled his cowl back to reveal the face of Bruce Wayne. Just seeing that face made Tim stop in his tracks.

"Tim…..my son. Look at me, this….is not you. Please. Fight it…..Fight it" stated Bruce. Tim straightened up and his eyes softened slightly, he shook his head for a second and Nightwing and Bruce jumped on the slight crack in the Joker armor.

"THAT'S IT TIM FIGHT IT!" shouted Nightwing stepping forward towards his fallen brother.

"D-Dick" Tim stuttered falling to his knees "W-What have I done….God" he said his voice wavering.

Bruce looked at him with a soft expression and was about to take a step forward when he glanced up at a smirking Joker.

"NIGTHWING WATCH OUT!" he shouted.

Nigthtwing looked down at Tim who suddenly lunged up with his bladed escrima sticks, Nightwing used one of his escrima sticks to block the attack aimed for his heart, but he missed the second bladed stick and it struck him in the left leg, slicing through the mechanical parts.

"AHHH!" he shouted before throwing a head butt that nailed Tim in the nose, Tim recoiled back and yanked his blade out of Nightwing's mechanical leg making sure to slice the wire and mechanics inside. Nightwing fell to the ground because he leg stopped working.

Tim recovered and grinned and spun one of his blades and tried a downward strike, but a shadow formed over Nightwing, Tim looked up to see Bruce descending upon him so he jumped back avoiding him.

Bruce looked at Tim's grinning face, and then he caught Tim's eyes with his own. Tim's eyes were always filled with life and joy but the eyes before him were no where near the exuberance they once held, there was no joy, no life…..just death and it was in that moment of realization that Bruce had to painfully accept that Tim Drake…..his son was dead. Steeling himself for what he was about to do he pulled his mask back on and lost himself in his Batman persona.

In an instant the two combatants charged.

* * *

**Batgirl**

"Oh…..God….." gasped out Batgirl feeling absolute agony in the middle of her chest. Her hands went to her chest and to the spot where she felt the bullet hit, she felt the bullet which meant that her armor stopped it from piercing her flesh, but the pain said otherwise, she fought through it and tried to rise up.

"BONZAI!" yelled Harley falling down with a knee to Batgirl's injured chest.

"UH!" she gasped in agony. Harley placed her elbow on Batgirl's throat and she stared her in the eyes. Harley then raised her fist and as hard as she could pounded on the spot where the bullet hit Batgirl's chest causing her even more agony and she kept pounding away on Batgirl's injured chest.

"UHH!" she gasped out after every blow.

"HAHAH! How's that red…..does that feel good" Harley growled out. Batgirl growled and then spit in Harley's face making the girl close her eyes. Batgirl then took advantage and raised her hand and chopped Harley in the neck. Batgirl rolled away and tried to push herself up, she spit out some blood and then lifted her head she saw Robin and Stephanie in a heated battle, Nightwing grabbing his left leg trying to fix it, and Batman and Tim fighting tooth and nail.

Weakly she pushed herself to her feet and turn to Harley who was rising to her feet as well.

The two women looked at each other and they both held up their fist and then charged.

* * *

**Robin**

"AH!" he shouted feeling Stephanie's blade slash across his chest, he reached for a batarang but to his horror he didn't have anymore. Stephanie charged in with a low strike and then a vertical upward slash. Robin held up his wrist and used his fins to deflect the razor sharp blade. He let out a huge sigh and tried to catch his breathe, during this momentary reprieve he glanced to the right to see his Father and Tim in a heated fight but his eyes landed on Tim's escrima sticks. He then turned to Stephanie who was wielding a similar staff and he got an Idea just as she was gearing up for another attack. She ran forward getting ready for a horizontal attack when Robin dashed forward and stopped her swing by grabbing the center of her staff. She let out a laugh and tried to thrust her head forward but he anticipated the attack and went back. Her forward momentum was used against her as Robin went backwards and pulled on the staff, but as he was pulling he twisted the middle and made her staff disconnect. Robin rolled backwards and kicked Stephanie in the chest causing her to tumble across the ground, but she quickly recovered and stood but when she stood up she looked at Robin to see he had one part of her bladed staff and she had the other.

"Ste…" he started

"I told you my name is Harley" she replied with narrowed eyes.

"Fine….Harley…..you are a good fighter, but swordplay is my forte, so I'm giving you fair warning. I don't want to hurt you" he said gripping the staff like a sword and brandishing the bladed end.

"Pity….because I want to hurt you" she replied holding her end like a sword as well.

"YAHHHH!" they both shouted. The two charged and met each other in a clash of metal.

* * *

**Batman and Nightwing **

"Goddamn it" Nightwing growled to himself as he fiddled with the electronic wires that were hanging out of his artificial leg, when Tim stabbed him he severed several important connection that he was hard pressed to fix seeing as how he didn't have the tools he needed at the moment. Nightwing glanced up at the fight that was going on between Tim and Batman and it was one for the ages.

"HA!" shouted Batman landing a powerful punch to Tim's face. Tim fell back but then flipped to his feet and responded with a punch of his own that nailed Batman in the face. Batman began to fight Tim again but he noticed something…..either Tim was beginning moving faster or he was beginning moving slower. Age, was something he never really thought about that often when fighting, all the opponents he usually came across didn't last very long, but every now and again he come across an opponent that would make him go the distance and he usually came out on top, but this wasn't an ordinary opponent, this was no ordinary opponent, this was someone trained not only by himself but several other fighters. Tim was relentless no matter how hard the attack he bounced back from it like it was nothing and he responded with his own attack that left him dazed. As the fight continued Batman could feel his age catching up with him, he could feel his movements become slower and desperate while Tim's moves were becoming faster and deadlier.

Batman ducked under an overheaded strike but Tim brought his knee up and struck him in the face. Batman turned and flicked his cape in Tim's face stunning him for a second which gives him time to deliver a kick to his face. Tim spun the kick and the lashed out with one of his bladed staffs, Batman held up his arm and intercepted the strike with his fin. Tim then began to lash out in rapid succession with his bladed sticks. Batman was hard pressed to block each strike that seemed to come quicker and quicker until found an opening and he took it. He kicked Batman on a pressure point in his leg and made it buckle, he stepped in close and elbowed Batman in the face and then with the same arm brought his bladed stick across Batman's cheek and then hopped up and kneed him in the face send him back and down to the ground. Tim spun his stick and then connected them and walked forward and put one of the bladed end's to Batman's throat and held it there.

The Joker had been watching the fighting in absolute joy and once he saw Batman go down he knew that it was time to end it all. He turned and went back into the hole in the screen and he grabbed a bazooka. He walked back out of the hole and he aimed the bazooka at Nightwing and fired. Some thick wire flew out and wrapped around Nightwing tightly. The Joker laughed and aimed the bazooka at Robin and fired and then he aimed it Batgirl and fired.

* * *

**Robin**

Robin easily block a sideswipe from Stephanie's blade and he returned several strikes of his own and on his last strike he sliced her across the arm drawing blood, but to his surprise she didn't cry out in pain or drop her sword, she looked at the wound and she smiled.

"Ste…" he started before he heard a sound he turned his eyes to see Nightwing being wrapped up in some thick wire, he looked at the Joker just as he fired again. The same wire that held Nightwing flew out and wrapped around him making him drop his sword of sorts. Robin struggled against the wire but it was too tight. Stephanie calmly walked over and grabbed her other end of her staff off of the ground and she connected it, making her Bo-Staff whole again. She spun it around and then held one end at Robin's throat.

* * *

**Batgirl **

"KEE-YAH!" yelled Batgirl punching Harley in the face again, but as soon as she punched her a sharp pain shot through her chest, but she ignored it and pushed through. Harley spit out some blood and dashed forward and slugged Batgirl as hard as she could in the stomach which served to aggravated her hurting chest but that didn't stop her, Batgirl brought her head up and head butted Harley in the chin. Harley went stumbling back, that blow had knocked her for a loop and the whole room was spinning. Batgirl saw the dazed look in Harley's eyes and she went in for another attack but she was hit from behind and a thick wire wrapped around her body making her fall to the ground.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA**" came the Joker's loud laugh "Harley…..Harley Jr….bring our guest over here….it's time to end this" he said throwing his bazooka to the ground.

* * *

"ARGH!" grunted Batgirl as Harley dumped her on the ground roughly.

"Bitch" Harley said under her breathe wiping the blood from her nose. Batgirl looked to the right to see a tied up Robin and Nightwing, and Tim had his bladed Bo-Staff at Batman's neck ready to slit his throat in an instant. Nightwing turned his head and the two caught each others eyes and they held that gaze for a long moment.

"Check and Mate" came Joker giddy voice. Batman, Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl turned there eyes towards the Joker who had a look of satisfaction on his features, "**HAHAH!** Oh Batman Batman Batman, I have taken great pleasure in screw with you" said the Joker walking over towards his fallen magnum and picking it up. He spun the barrel and he walked over towards Tim and wrapped his arm around his shoulder and he looked down at his fallen enemy.

"You really have no Idea how much I've enjoyed punishing you like this" he said "Taking everything you love and just…..just tearing it down and watching you squirm. I mean I almost blew a gasket when I saw the looks on your face when you thought Joker Jr. here was dead"

"You had the Cave bugged" Batman stated narrowing his eyes.

"That's right Bruce….and it was all thanks to Joker Jr. here" he replied rubbing Tim's hair, "He has been a tremendous help…..matter of fact, I think Joker Jr. here deserves to give you the final blow…..and cement my victory over you….here ya go sport"

The Joker handed the magnum with the long barrel to Tim who let out a laugh and cocked it back and aimed it at Batman. Nightwing and Batgirl looked on in horror as Tim aimed the weapon they began to struggle but to no avail.

"You can stop struggling you'll get a turn too" came Harley's voice. Robin was struggling as well but he was to reach a small cutting blade he kept on his utility belt.

'_Almost…..almost…got it'_ he thought reaching the knife. He pulled it out and he secretly began to cut the wire.

**CLICK! POOF!** Tim pulled the trigger and a flag with the word bang on it popped out.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**" laughed Tim, Stephanie, Harley and Joker. Tim looked Batman in the eyes and then pulled the hammer on the magnum back again. He stared down and he put a grin on his face.

"I have a joke" he stated shocking everyone.

"Oh…..please tell us" replied the Joker. Tim smirked and then twirled and jammed his staff into the ground and he walked a few steps away from the Joker all the while aiming the gun at Batman.

"It's actually pretty funny. There was once this pathetic excuse of a man named…well for now let's call him…Jack. Jack was not a nice person in fact he lived just to cause other people unbearable pain and agony, to the point people would call him a monster or a freak…."

"Wow I like this jack fellow **HEHE!**" laughed the Joker.

"I knew you would. One day Jack comes across another man similar to himself in the sense that people called him a freak as well but this man was actually a relatively nice person…..well nice is stretching it but he was….good"

"Is the punchline coming soon son….." asked the Joker with slightly narrowed eyes, he was growing impatient.

"**HEHE! **Of course the punchline is coming. One day these two….freaks meet. They meet and a silent war breaks out between the two….a battle of the wills. For the next few decades or so these two would battle each other, bringing others into their little private war with the other…and the war was all about prove something to the other…one trying to prove that chaos is only way to live and the other trying to prove that good could always triumph over evil. The war raged on and on and countless people were hurt and killed during this war until one day it ended"

"Chaos won" said the Joker with a smile turning to Batman.

"Actually no" Tim replied turning his eyesight to the Joker.

"No" he repeated turning to his 'son'.

"Yeah….on the day the war ended neither side won because in the end….They both died" said Tim before raising the gun at the Joker and pulling the trigger.

**BANG! **The Flag fired from the gun and speared the Joker through the heart. The Joker's eyes widen and he looked down at the flag sticking out of his chest. He could see blood gushing out of the wound and leaking to the floor. His eyes looked back up at Tim to see him laughing.

"T-That's…not…That's not funny…..Ugh…" went the Joker before his eyes rolled back and he fell down to the ground dead.

"PUDDIN! NO!" shouted Harley. Stephanie glanced over her shoulder to see Harley going for the Joker; she spun her bladed staff and then turned and stabbed Harley in the chest

"ACK!" she gurgled out feel the blade in her chest. Stephanie yanked the blade out and smirked as Harley fell to the ground bleeding.

"Man…that Joke is Killer **HAHAHAHAHAHA**" laughed Tim pulling the hammer on the gun back again and aiming it at Batman.

"TIM! PLEASE DON"T DO THIS!" shouted Batgirl.

'_Almost…..almost…I'm free'_ thought Robin

"Barbara…..the man you knew as Timothy Drake Wayne is gone. Everything that he once stood for is gone, and it's been replaced"

"With a desire to rule this town" said Stephanie walking over to Tim and kissing him on the cheek "With our skills and with you out of the way it'll be easy"

"But don't worry I'm not gonna kill you Barbara, or you Damian, or you Dick….because you were the people I was referring to that got caught up in this glorified dick measuring contest between these two…..freaks" growled Tim turning his eyes back to Batman.

"All that's left is to kill the other man" said Stephanie.

Tim smirked and got ready to pull the trigger when Robin suddenly broke from his bonds with a grappling hook in hand. He fired the grappling hook and it wrapped around Tim's hand and he pulled just as Tim pulled the trigger. Stephanie grunted in pain as the bullet from the gun blew a hole in her foot. Batman sprung up and punched Tim in the jaw launching him in the air, but he flipped and landed on his feet. He grabbed hold of the grappling hook on his arm and he pulled on it as hard as he could. Robin was yanked forward and across the ground. Batman ran forward and began to attack him, Stephanie pushed the pain from her mind and she ran towards Batman's exposed back, but he dodge her attack at the last minute but he received a kick to face by Tim.

Robin pushed himself up and he looked to he left to see Joker's discarded Bazooka, he glanced at the bazooka and then at Tim and Stephanie.

"This ends now" he said grabbing the bazooka.

"BATMAN! OUT OF THE WAY!" he shouted pressing down on the trigger, but to his horror thick wire didn't shoot from the Bazooka to wrap around their foes…a rocket shot out. Batman gasped and then dove out of the way at the last second. Tim and Stephanie looked at the approaching rocket and they both begin to laugh. The rocket hit the ground in front of them.

**KABOOOOOOOM! **The two were blown back and to the ground, the force of the rocket caused the already unstable portion of the ceiling collapse and fall to the ground.

* * *

Batman was blown back as well but he landed away from the crumbling roof. He painfully pushed himself up, he used his cape to shield himself from the fire and smoke. He slowly walked to the pile of rubble and fire and he stared at it.

'_No'_ he thought balling up his fist. Batman quickly ran to the rubble and he began to grab some of it with his hands and throw it off, he was attempting to dig out Tim and Stephanie.

"DAMIAN WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!" shouted Batgirl

"I DIDN"T KNOW A GODDAMN ROCKET WOULD FIRE OUT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WIRE TO RESTRAIN THEM!" he yelled back.

"Untie us" said Nightwing. Robin set the bazooka down and he ran to the two of them, he quickly pulled out his blade and he began to slice the wire off of their bodies. Once freeing them the three quickly made their way over to Batman and helped him dig through the rubble.

They were all tired and hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally but they didn't stop if anything they doubled their speed. Grabbing at any loose rubble and throwing it to the side. They finally reached the last piece of rubble which was a large slab of the roof with rusted metal rods sticking out. Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin each took a side an in tandem all lifted together and tossed to the right.

There lying mangled and bloodied were the bodies of Tim and Stephanie. Batman looked at them and sucked in a breathe, he quickly knelt down and checked their pulse.

"They're alive…..but barely we have to get them to Leslie" he stated bending down and scooping Tim in his arms; Nightwing did the same thing with Stephanie and gathered her body in his arms. They both quickly ran/limped towards the hole in the ceiling. Batman pressed a button his wrist and the Bat-wing could be heard overhead. They aimed their grappling hooks at the Bat-Wing and fired.

Batgirl and Robin were about to do the same thing when they heard a coughing sound. They stopped and turned to Harley who was moving slightly.

"You guys go we'll deal with this" said Batgirl into her communicator. The Bat-Wing turned and flew off into the city of Gotham.

* * *

Batgirl and Robin slowly walked passed the dead body of the Joker and towards the coughing and bleeding Harley Quinn. With his foot Robin turned her over and they both saw her looking at them with wide and fearful eyes. She was grabbing at the wound in her chest trying to stop the bleeding but failing.

"….Me…ugh" she gasped out.

"Why" asked Robin with narrowed eyes

"P-P-Please…I-I-M….s-sorry" she said coughing and making blood squirt out of her mouth.

"SORRY!" shouted Batgirl "YOU'RE SORRY!"

She nodded her head as tears began to roll down Harley's bloody face.

"I-I-I…..d-don't w-want….to die…"

"Neither did our friends Bitch" growled Robin "I say we let her die"

Batgirl stoically stared down at the bleeding and crying Harley Quinn.

"P-P-Please" she whispered.

Batgirl continued to stare down at her and an image of her father passed across her mind and she balled up her fist in anger.

"Goddamn it" she growled under breathe, with great reluctance she reached into her utility belt and pulled out a small white pack and ripped it open and poured the powdery substance on the chest wound.

"Barbara what the fuck are you doing" asked Robin harshly grabbing her shoulder.

"….what does it look like Damian" she replied in a low tone

"It looks like you're trying to save her"

"….."

"Need I remind you that she helped destroy us…she helped to kill all of our friends and drive a wedge between us. She…..she deserves to die"

"I know Damian…I know and every ounce of my being wants me to let her to die…..but….I can't" she replied. Batgirl bent down and scooped Harley up in her arms, she shifted Harley and reached for her grappling hook and fired at the ceiling and pulled herself through.

Robin was left all alone with the dead body of the Joker. He glanced towards the villains' corpse and he walked towards it. He reached down and turned him over and looked at him, Robin flared his nostrils and reached into his utility and he pulled out a small box of matches. He opened them and he took out three sticks and lit them, he tossed the three lit matches onto the Joker's body and he watched as he was set ablaze.

"I hope you burn in hell you son of a bitch. I hope you burn" Robin growled out taking in much joy seeing the Joker's body burn.

* * *

**Hospital**

**VROOOOM VROOOM! **Went the sound of a motorcycle pulling up in front of Gotham General Hospital. Batgirl quickly got off of her motorcycle and she picked up Harley's body that was cradled in front of her. She quickly ran into the hospital

* * *

**Inside**

"I NEED HELP OVER HERE!" she shouted. A few nurses recoiled in shock seeing the bloody Batgirl and Harley Quinn. Several nurses with gurney came rushing over, Batgirl gently laid Harley down on the gurney.

"She's been stabbed" she stated. The nurses nodded their heads and wheeled her off. Batgirl let out a sigh and swiftly turned and left the hospital.

* * *

"DOCTOR! DOCTOR!" shouted one of the nurses. A doctor came rushing over and he looked at Harley. He took off his stethoscope and put it over her heart to see if she was still alive.

"Shit she's crashing we have to…..hold on" He said moving the stethoscope lower and lower until he reached her abdomen. His eyes widen and he looked at the nurses again "We have to get her into ICU NOW! She's pregnant"

* * *

**Across Town: Gotham Slums: **

Batman and Nightwing sat in the waiting room of a private medical facility that belonged to a trusted friend name Dr. Leslie Thompkins. She was their unofficial go to doctor in situations where Alfred's expertise couldn't help. They both sat silently in their seat lost in their own thoughts and feelings. Nightwing ran a hand through his wavy hair and he glanced out the corners of his eyes at his adopted father and mentor who had a stoic look on his face. It looked like he didn't feel a shred of emotion from the event that they just went through….and as Nightwing continued to look at him he recalled that throughout this whole ordeal Bruce didn't shed a single tear or a single look of sadness and in thinking back Nightwing began to grow angry. As all the events played over and over in his mind he could remember several things one his own anger and sadness at the situation, the anger and sadness of Damian and Barbara, and the unchanging stoic expression on Bruce's face at everything, looking like he didn't care. Nightwing balled up his fist and was about to say something when another thought crossed his mind. When Tim and Stephanie revealed themselves as the shadowy figures it felt like he wanted to throw up. He had glanced at Barbara and Damian and saw that they shared the same feeling, but then his eyes turned to Batman who didn't look like he felt anything, it was more like he was anticipating it….almost like he knew. Nightwing's eyes widen and he completely turned in his seat towards Batman who glanced at him.

"Tell me something Bruce…..Tim and Stephanie…did you know…..before" he asked in a slow tone.

Batman swallowed and he looked at Dick…..he looked at his son. He was about to lie to him when he stopped….he was tired of lying, so he let out a sigh and he nodded his head.

"Yes Dick….I knew" he answered.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Nightwing standing up and grabbing the chair he was sitting in and throwing it across the room, "HOW LONG GODDAMN IT! HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN!"

"I've had my suspicions for a few weeks…but I didn't have conformation until a few days ago" he stated.

Nightwing grinded his teeth so hard that he thought they were going to snap at any moment, he stood there staring at his adoptive father ready to yell at him when he suddenly stop in mid-sentence with his mouth open. He looked at Batman and all of his feelings for him instantly went out of the door, he straightened up and he looked Batman in the eyes. Nightwing reached up and took off his mask so the complete face of Dick Grayson could be seen.

"Listen to me and listen to me good. I quit. Do you hear me. I quit, I can't take this anymore….I'm done. I'm done with Nightwing, I'm Done with Batman and I'm done with you. I'm leaving Gotham tonight and I'm never looking back"

**CLICK!** Went the sound of a medical door opening and out stepped Dr. Leslie Thompkins. She took the mask off of her face and she looked at Batman and Nightwing with a sad expression.

"What is it Leslie" asked Batman standing up.

"Well they will live Bruce…. But they both have head trauma and third degree burns and the Chalk white skin and red lips are irreversible"

"Damn it"

"That's not all Tim is in a coma…..I don't even know if he'll ever wake up and Stephanie…." Dr. Thompkins stopped and let out a sigh, this isn't the first time she's had to treat Stephanie when she was knocking on death's door, she once tried to save Stephanie from the life of being involved with Batman but Stephanie was too damn stubborn "Stephanie will wake up…and…..she was pregnant"

"What" replied Dick and Bruce at the same time.

"Yes she was pregnant but she's not anymore…..the blast made her miscarry"

"Please tell me it wasn't the Joker's" said Dick running a hand through his hair in shock

"No…..I ran a DNA test and it was Tim's"

Bruce and Dick recoiled at that bit of information.

"I would ask Bruce just what the hell these two kids have been through but the chalk white skin, green hair, and Red lips gave me a clue. I tried to warn you about using kids in your goddamn crusade…..I tried to warn Stephanie but…"

"ENOUGH! I don't need a lecture right now Leslie…..not Tonight." Bruce said to her. Dr. Thompkins closed her mouth and long silence passed between the three individuals, with no one saying anything for a long minute, until Dick broke the silence with a question that was everyone's mind.

"What are we going to do with them?"

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"What did you guys do with them?" asked Terry.

"Dr. Thompkins called in a few favors and she got Stephanie silently transferred to Belle Reve intense psychiatric ward…and she's still there today"

"What about Tim?"

"Tim is still in coma but he's in a medical facility up in Metropolis, under heavy guard."

"What happened to you guys after that"

"Well….I went back to the Underground bunker….."

* * *

**Past- Underground Bunker**

Batgirl arrived in the underground bunker that was the temporary home to Helena and Charlotte, but her eyes scrunched up in confusion when she didn't see either of them. Batgirl got off of her motorcycle and she ventured further into the bunker until her eyes landed on the computer in the bunker. There was a note attached, she grabbed the note and read it

_Note: **Go Screw yourself Barbara** _

"DAMN IT!" she shouted balling up the note and throwing it across the room. She reached up and snatched the mask off of her face. Seeing that she was all alone Barbara sank down to the floor and cried. She cried her eyes out well into the night.

* * *

**Wayne Towers**

"DICK!" shouted Robin as he entered the top floor of the Tower. He looked around the living room and his eyes landed on the Nightwing costume folded up and laying on the couch. Robin let out a sigh and took off his mask and walked towards the costume and he saw a note. Damian picked up the note and he read it:

_Note: **Goodbye**_

Damian balled up the note and he sat down on the couch next to the costume, seeing that he was all alone Damian started to silently cry.

* * *

**Present**

"After that it was just me, Barbara and my Father left, but our hearts weren't into crime fighting anymore. I gave up the Robin Identity and I started to be Batman since my Father for a brief period stopped being Batman"

"He stopped"

"Only for a brief period…and during his break I was Batman" said Damian

"What about Huntress?"

"A year or two later I ran into her and Charlotte and Charlotte ending up getting injured real bad and that's when Helena lost it and went on a killing spree. She killed every single criminal she went up against…and since I was responsible for her it was up to me to stop her. We fought…..and I won…."

"I can't believe you lied and said she died"

"Well I did…..she didn't die but after that fight I couldn't be involved with anything Bat related anymore….too many bad memories so I gave up, but I still wanted to help so I began to take up my Father's mantle and I joined the GCPD" said Barbara.

"And a few years went by and Alfred left and I soon left as well…..to do my own thing" Damian chimed.

Terry sucked in a huge breathe and he stood from the couch. His mind was reeling from the information that was just imparted onto him. He rubbed his neck and he turned back to the two ex-vigilantes.

"So….what the moral of that story is to give up. Stop being Batman?" he asked

"The moral McGinnis is that if you're serious about being Batman, you must understand what you're going to sacrifice. You're sacrificing your mind, body, and spirit. Don't get me wrong as Batman you will do a tremendous amount of good of that I have no doubt, but there is an old saying from my day, and it's that: No good deed goes unpunished. Being Batman is like a double edged sword, but it's always those around you that will always be hurt the most….they will be the ones to suffer" said Barbara "Are you ready for that" she asked.

"…." Terry didn't answer he just looked at her.

"And McGinnis if you truly want to be Batman you're gonna need something…..the most important tool in Batman's arsenal"

"What"

"A shovel" Damian answered staring at him "A shovel you can use to bury all of your friends and family, just like we had to bury ours"

"Excuse me Master Wayne" came the voice of Yinn. Barbara, Damian, and Terry turned to Yinn and looked at him.

"What is it Yinn?" he asked

"Your father has awoken" he said

"Thank you Yinn we'll be up in a second" he replied standing up, "Well let's get this over with, I have to find Inque and then Zander, and then I have to get to Metropolis"

"Why Metropolis?" asked Barbara

"Let's just say I have to see an old friend about a favor" he replied cryptically turning and heading for the steps, Barbara glanced at Terry before she herself started for the steps. Terry watched them go before releasing a sigh of his own. He reached into his back pocket and he pulled out his wallet, he opened it and he pulled out two pictures. One was of him, his mom, and Matt and the other was of Dana and Max. He stared at the photos and a serious expression crossed his face as the words of Barbara and Damian crossed his mind.

'_Well that's not going to happen to any of you. I swear'_ he thought with determination. He quickly put the photos back into his wallet and then into his pocket and he made his way to the stairs.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review:  Well there you have it my loyal readers…..the Fall of Batman, possibly the most epic thing I've written to date. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait, and I hope that it was everything that I promised it would be: I hope it was heartbreaking, gut wrenching, pulse pounding, and of course beyond Epic. I am quite eager to hear everyone's thoughts about this chapter and the whole arc in general. It's not mandatory but if you want the full scope of everything from beginning to end I think you should re-read it from part one all the way to part 4, but again it's not mandatory if you been following along you probably already have the full scope. Anyway I'm just really eager to hear thoughts, comments, or just any burning questions that need to be answered I'm here waiting to answer them. This is the end of the Fall of Batman arc which means we've hit the half way milestone for this story…..we've only got a few more chapters until the conclusion of this tale, so I hope you all stick around. And so with that my readers….I ask you to Review, and to meet me back here for the next exciting chapter. **

**Ps: Again, I hope that no one feels that their favorite character was being bashed at any point. All of these characters were in uncharted territory: Mentally, Physically, and Emotionally and I tried my best to make sure I explained that throughout the story and portray that in a believable way. Anyway…now that the Fall of Batman is over…..I can now get back to Secret Warrior Spider-Man. I thank all the fans of that story for being so patient. This is Nomad88 saying Later….**

**Next Up: The Story of Yinn and Yanng **


	19. The Story of Yinn and Yanng

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS, I repeat I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS. In fact all CREDIT goes directly to DC, DC owns everything, I'm in no way making any type of money off of this story, no money is being exchanged or handed to me, so I ask politely PLEASE PLEASE do not sue me. I DO NOT have any money, none whatsoever. Thanks, now onto the story. **

**Hello all welcome back to the Batman Beyond universe. THANK YOU to all of you readers out there that not only read The Fall of Batman but also took the time to review. It had to be one of the most important arcs of this whole story and it took me forever to get down all of the details on how to end the legend that is Batman. I'm glad that you all enjoyed what you read and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. All that's left for me to say is: Read, REVIEW (A writer's fuel) and of course ENJOY….**

* * *

**Chapter 19: The Story of Yinn and Yanng**

**Wayne Manor: Master Bedroom**

Yinn, the faithful and loyal partner/butler to Damian Wayne sat on the floor Indian Style with his eyes closed and his mind at ease. He was meditating, trying to calm his nerves and regain his peaceful and calm center, the reason is because a few hours ago one of his most hated and cunning enemies: Inque instigated an attack. It was by sheer luck that not only he survived but Damian's father: Bruce Wayne survived as well.

Yinn took a deep breath and he calmly released it through his mouth, with that final exhale he slowly opened his eyes and he looked at the elderly Bruce Wayne in the lavish king sized bed, he had been injured in the ensuing scuffle. He stood up and he made his way over to the injured Bruce Wayne. Yinn eyed the bloody bandages and he carefully lifted up the bandages and he looked at the wounds. He released a slight sigh of relief because the wound was beginning to heal; he could see the Lazarus pit elixir doing its job.

Yinn replaced the bandages and he backed away slightly, while he was currently calm his mind couldn't help but think about the fight. He kept replaying the fight over and over in his mind, scrutinizing everything.

'_I should have done things differently'_ he thought to himself. Yinn, Damian, and Inque have been fighting each other for some time and each time was more deadly than the last, but while all of their fights were intense, Yinn for the rest of his life will never forget the first time they fought because it was the first time in over a thousands years he had seen his brother, his twin brother Yanng.

* * *

**Flashback- Almost 15 years ago- Neo- Hong Kong**

"RAH!" shouted Damian, he was garbed in his Gray Ghost persona, he was atop of a flying truck fighting one of the toughest enemies he had ever come across, she was a living pile of black ooze, a ruthless assassin and saboteur that he had been tracking for sometime, it was the elusive and cunning woman simply named Inque. The Gray Ghost looked down at his chest to see a large slash going across the center. The slash went through his armor and caught his flesh; he could even feel it bleeding.

"Master Wayne are you alright" came Yinn's voice in his ear.

"No" he replied. He glanced up at Inque who was in her battle mode, meaning her face was covered and her arms and feet were razor sharp, "This woman is tough….she reminds me of an old foe by the name of clayface, but the difference between him and her is that she isn't an idiot"

"I gathered that as well Master Wayne….do be careful"

"Yeah….how goes things on your end, is the prime minister safe and secure?" asked The Gray Ghost.

"Yes Master Wayne I have the situation under control"

"Good, we can not allow the Prime Minister's death"

"I understand Master Wayne…..it will not..." started Yinn before the line was cut.

"Yinn" Gray Ghost whispered, but there was silence, '_Dammit the feed is being interrupted' _he thought to himself.

"Who are you talking to handsome" came Inque's distorted and playful voice.

"Shut up you Bitch" growled the Gray Ghost pushing the pain from his mind, "Who hired you to assassinate the Prime Minister?"

"Hahahhaha like I would tell you" she replied before forming into an ooze and slithering over towards him at rapid speed.

* * *

**Across Neo-Hong Kong- Prime Minister's office. **

"Master Wayne" whispered Yinn tapping his earpiece, but it was no use he was cut off from partner.

"What's going on" came the fearful voice of the Chinese Prime Minister. Yinn turned away from the large busted window to see the Prime Minister rising to his feet. All of his guards where lying dead on the ground next to him. Damian and Yinn had arrived in the nick of time and they were able to stop Inque from assassinating him.

"It is alright Prime Minister you are safe"

"Oh…thank God" he replied letting out a sigh, "For a minute I thought…" the Prime Minister started before his head was suddenly separated from his body. Blood splattered all over Yinn, he looked down in horror to the see the head rolling towards him.

"NO!" he shouted looking at the head and then back up, the air around the Prime Minister's body began to shimmer and a man appeared in a form fitting black and green outfit, with a mask covering his head and a sharp sword in his hand that had the Prime Minister's blood all over it.

"Demon" Yinn hissed taking a defensive stance.

"Actually it's called a cloaking device" came the distorted deep voice of the black and green garbed man. The masked man cocked his head to the side and stared at the blood covered Yinn. Yinn stared back at him readying himself for anything, but what he wasn't ready for was the masked man in front of him to start chuckling. He continued to chuckle and chuckle.

"It's been a long time…a very long time" the masked man stated while moving away from the dead Prime Minister.

"Who are you?" Yinn snarled, "You killed an innocent man"

"Actually Yinn he wasn't all that innocent. He was trying to go back on a deal he made with me a long time ago" the masked man replied in a matter of fact tone.

"How do you know my name…..SPEAK!" he shouted.

"Well I mean I should know the name…" the man started before reached up with his free hand and grabbed his mask and removed it, "Of my own brother"

"YANNG!" Yinn shouted in shock. Standing in front of Yinn was a man with a face almost identical to his own, it was the face of his twin brother Yanng. Yanng was the same height and age but only on the left side of his face was a tattoo of a red dragon.

"Hello brother" came Yanng's voice which sounded just like Yinn's. The man named Yanng eyed his brother with an amused look, "My you haven't aged a day…..neither have I for that matter HAHA" he laughed.

"…" Yinn didn't reply he was still in a stunned state of seeing his twin brother after all of this time. The last time that saw each other they had fought to a stand still, and the fight didn't end well for either of them.

"My God what has it been…..give or take a thousand years maybe more….eh who can remember these things"

"I can" Yinn snarled.

"…" Yanng didn't respond he simply smirked at him, "So who let you out….."

"RAHHHHHHH!' yelled Yinn in anger.

Yinn jumped up and sailed towards his brother with a flying kick that nailed him in the chest hard, the force of the kick sent Yanng flying back and into the wall cracking it a little.

"Oomph…uh. I see that…all of those years being stuck in that cave hasn't affected your skills brother" said Yanng putting a hand to his chest and coughing out a few specs of blood.

"I've had decades to perfect my skill brother" Yinn growled stepping in with another kick, Yanng smirked and rolled away in the nick of time. The kick was so powerful that it cracked the wall even further.

"I've also had decades to perfect my skills as well" Yanng replied, he jammed his sword into the ground and then pulled out several small knives and expertly tossed them at his brother. Yinn saw the knives coming and did his best to dodge them but one ended up imbedded into his shoulder. He growled to himself and then ripped the blade out and threw it to the ground; he then looked up to see his brother moving swiftly towards him with his sword. Yinn's eyes widen and he ducked just as Yanng tried to slice his head off. He sprung up and grabbed one of his brother's arms and then delivered a hard palm strike to his chin, Yanng responded with an elbow to the jaw and then a backfist to the side of his face. Yinn was knocked off balance but he was able to get a kick in on Yanng's knee just as Yanng was about to slice him in half with his sword.

Yinn fell into a roll but then sprung up and turned around, Yanng had recovered and his smirk only grew as he eyed his brother.

"RAHHH!" they both shouted at the same time charging at each other.

Yanng thrusted his sword forward and then executed several quick and precise swipes but Yinn was able to maneuvered out of the way of the sharp blade. Yanng came in with an overhead strike but Yinn brought his foot up and kicked his wrist, the sudden strike made his brother drop his sword. Yinn then threw out a punch but Yanng sprung back and came in with a roundhouse that nailed him in the stomach. Yinn doubled over and dropped to a knee from the hard hit but he wasn't out of the fight. He shot up and speared his brother and the two went crashing into the Prime Minister's desk knocking over and rolling into the glass that was on the ground.

Both of the fighters were breathing hard as they frantically tried to get up before the other, Yinn and Yanng both grabbed a long shard of the glass on the ground and got to their feet. Yanng came in with mid range strike but was blocked by Yinn's right wrist. Yinn rolled his wrist and created and opening and lunged inwards, Yanng sidestepped and tried to slash his neck with his shard of glass again but Yinn ducked and rolled and spun quickly aiming for the base of Yanng's spine and at the last minute Yanng sunk downwards to a knee and turned and blocked the attack.

The two twin brothers struggled to overpower the other all the while staring into the others eyes.

"T-This…..s-seems awfully familiar d-doesn't it Yinn" said Yanng with a smirk. They both started to stand up straight still struggling.

"….." Yinn didn't reply to his brother's comment, he was focused, focused on defeating his brother. Trying not to make a mistake like he did the last time they fought.

Yinn gritted his teeth and pushed against his brother arm trying to overpower him, but Yanng held strong.

"Do you remember what happened last time we fought…I believe we ended just like this and then I…." started Yanng before suddenly hitting Yinn's outstretched arm with his free hand and breaking their lock. Yinn quickly responded by doing several quick slashes with his glass shard but Yanng was about to block each attack and respond with his own quick succession of slashes. They traded blows, each trying to get in a shot but they couldn't they were evenly matched like they have always been. Yanng's overly aggressive strikes were met by Yinn's strong defensive blocks, and when Yinn was on the offensive all of his precision and quick attacks were met with Yanng's hard defensive blocks.

Yanng lifted his foot to kick Yinn but his kick was met with a block from Yinn's knee, they both then separated and jumped back a few steps.

"Even" they both said at the same time.

Suddenly Yanng dropped out of his fighting stance and he let out a dry laugh, but even though he wasn't in his stance Yinn did not leave his, in fact he fell deeper into his stance preparing himself for anything that his brother might throw at him.

"This is pointless Yinn. Here we are again fighting each other; we're brothers we need to be working together again….like we used to do"

"You mean before you became drunk with power, and trapped me in a cave" Yinn snarled.

"I regret that, that happened but you chose to stand in my way at the wrong time, you have no one to blame for your predicament but yourself"

"No I blame you. You strayed too far away from our teachings to the point where I didn't even recognize you"

"Oh please…those teachings were of naïve and sheltered monks. Peace is only achieved through might…not talking"

"That's the Lazarus in you brother. You've let it corrupt you. You must search inside and break its hold"

"Stop it Yinn. Stop trying to save me, I don't need saving…you do" said Yanng right before he pressed a button on his wrist. Yinn looked at him and then he looked around because he could hear the sound of an engine. He turned his head to the right to see a small attack drone. The attack drone then unleashed high powered bullets through the window at Yinn, but he managed to dive towards the desk and cover himself.

"WELCOME TO THE FUTURE BROTHER!" Yanng yelled.

The bullets ripped through the desk like tissue, Yinn crawled along the floor trying his best to get out of the pathway of the bullets.

"YOU'VE MISSED A LOT! WE MAY BE EVEN IN HAND TO HAND COMBAT BUT I HAVE TECHNOLOGY ON MY SIDE NOW! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yanng proclaimed as he directed his attack drone.

**THUD! THUD! THUD! **

Yanng turned to the loud thud to see several metal throwing stars imbedded into the attack drone.

"Dammit" Yanng whispered

**KABOOOOM!** The explosion tossed Yanng backwards roughly.

* * *

From the open window in sailed Damian Wayne aka The Gray Ghost.

"YINN!" he shouted as he landed on the ground surveying the room. He turned to the right to see Yanng making his way to his feet.

"Yinn?"

"Yanng actually" he replied throwing several knives, The Gray Ghost jumped to the side to avoid the weapons, which gave Yanng enough time to rise to his feet. He ran towards the window, while also managing to grab his fallen mask in the process. He kept running and he jumped out of the window.

Yanng fell out of the window, he quickly put on his mask and he pressed a button on his wrist. His black and green costume glowed for a second until he shimmered into invisibility and vanished into the night.

The Gray Ghost looked at the window that Yanng jumped out of in confusion.

"Who the hell was that?"

"That was my brother" came Yinn's voice from behind him. He turned to see that Yinn was on the ground bleeding from a bullet hole in his leg and shoulder.

"Jesus….are you alright?" he asked going over to him.

"Yes Master Wayne I will be fine, I just need….my elixir, which is at our hideout" Yinn replied.

"You have a twin brother"

"Yes and his name is Yanng" Yinn answered.

**STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! **

The Gray Ghost looked up at the doors to the Prime Minister's office and then at the Prime Minister's body, the police and more security were on the way.

"We have to go" he said helping Yinn up. He draped one of Yinn's arms around his neck and headed for the window. He pulled out a grappling hook and fired, The Gray Ghost jumped out of the window with Yinn in tow and swung away into the night without a trace.

* * *

**Present – Wayne Manor**

Yinn shook himself from the vivid memory.

'_Yanng, you have completely lost yourself and it is my duty as your brother to stop you'_ he thought to himself.

"Uh….." came a groan of pain.

Yinn snapped out of his inner musings when he heard Bruce groan. The elderly man's eyes slowly opened and they landed on him.

"You have awoken, how do you feel?" asked Yinn with kind eyes and an equally kind smile.

Bruce's eyes looked around for a second and then back towards Yinn.

"Lousy" he replied trying to sit up.

"Mr. Wayne you must rest and let the elixir do its job to heal you"

"Elixir?" Bruce repeated.

"The Lazarus Pit" Yinn answered.

"WHAT!" Bruce shouted slightly trying to rise up.

"Shhhh calm down Mr. Wayne calm down, I assure you the negative affects of the Lazarus pit will not happen"

"How can you be so sure?" asked Bruce

"Because I'm an expert of its effects and on how to counter them" Yinn replied

Bruce looked at the man standing over him for a long minute, thinking about what he had said to him. Bruce's mind was trying process this small bit of info because the only person in history that he knew of that was expert on the Lazarus pit was Ra's Al Ghul, but yet the man before him claims to be an expert as well.

"An expert" Bruce replied

"That is correct"

"Who are you?"

"…..My name is Yinn, and I'm a friend of your son"

"I gathered that much. How did the two of you meet?" he asked

"I met Master Wayne in China. He freed me from my prison"

"You were a prisoner?"

"Not in the sense that you're thinking Mr. Wayne. I was trapped inside a cave for over a thousand years and Master Wayne inadvertently freed me. If it wasn't for him I would probably still be stuck there today. I'm eternally grateful to him."

"How are you so…"

"Young or rather youngish for a person that's supposed to be a thousand, well inside the cave was a Lazarus Pit and it was through its mystical properties that I was able to stay alive and virile"

"Is that how you became an expert?"

"No, my knowledge of the mystical pit stretches far beyond my entrapment" he replied.

"What's your story Yinn?" asked Bruce sitting up in his bed despite protest from his body.

"Why do you ask?"

"…..because, I'm curious on how you know so much of the Lazarus pit and because….I'm curious of the company my son keeps" Bruce answered.

"….."

"You don't have to tell me if you do not want to" Bruce said after Yinn's pause.

"….It's a long story" Yinn replied after a few more seconds.

"I don't plan going anywhere at the moment" Bruce said

Yinn looked at Bruce for a second and then his eyes traveled to the door that led to the master bedroom. He could hear Damian's voice from downstairs, it sounded a bit agitated, but Yinn didn't pay it too much mind, Damian's voice was agitated most of the time. He released a sigh and turned back to Bruce.

"Very well. May I" he asked gesturing towards the edge of the bed.

"Of course" Bruce replied. Yinn shook his head and he sat down on the edge of Bruce's bed.

"My story begins in Tibet….when I was 15years old….."

* * *

**Flashback: Over a Thousand Years ago: Tibet**

Tucked away in the mountainous area of Tibet was a beautiful village, the home to a peaceful village full of settlers. Built into the side of the snowy mountain that was located towards the back of the village was a Monastery. The monastery housed the Shaolin Warriors that dedicated their lives to protecting the village.

* * *

**Inside the Monastery**

"HA!" came the shout of a 15 year old Yinn. He looked the same only he was much, much younger. He was wearing an orange Shaolin monk training robe. In his hands was a long spear. Yinn took a step back and twirled his spear and looked at his opponent, who happened to be his twin 15 year old brother Yanng. Yanng was garbed in a blue Shaolin Monk training robe and he also had a spear in his hands. Both of the fighters smiled at each other and held their spears at the ready, slowly the two brothers circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Their master, Sifu Yamoto watched them with close inspection, analyzing their stances and method for attack and defense. Sifu Yamoto was a man of Asian descent he was bald head with kind dark brown eyes and a clean shaven face. He had a lean build and was wearing a red Shaolin Monk Robe.

Yinn and Yanng charged at each other with their spear at the ready and they met each other in the middle with a quick succession of hits from their spears. Yanng did two quick high strikes and then tried a low attack. Yinn stepped out of range for the high attack and blocked the low attack. He rolled his spear and tired to disarm his brother but it didn't work Yanng held on tight to his weapon. He then jumped in the air and twirled his spear. Yinn looked up and raised his spear but that's what Yanng was counting on, he came down with the tip of his spear and sliced Yinn's spear in half. Yinn looked on in shock as his spear was destroyed, he tossed the useless weapon to the side and he waited for his brother's attack which was a horizontal strike. Yinn dodged the strike and then rushed in and grabbed hold of his brother's spear. The two young warriors struggled for a second before Yinn let go and pushed him back, Yinn then quickly raised his right foot and brought his heel down on the middle section of Yanng's spear and broke it in half.

Yanng tossed his broken staff to the side and he backflipped away creating space between him and his brother.

"Even" they both said and then smirked.

"YAHHH!" they both shouted charging at each other.

"STOP!" shouted Sifu Yamoto

Yinn and Yanng stopped, they both had their right foot raised ready to kick each other in the face but once they heard the voice of their Sifu they instantly stopped. They dropped their legs to the ground and bowed to each other and then turned to face their master.

"Very good the both of, take your seats" he said

Yinn and Yanng bowed to him and made their way over to the side to where their peers were sitting. They both sat down on their knees and faced their Sifu who began to talk.

"You know I was gonna win right" Yanng whispered

"In your dreams brother" Yinn whispered back.

* * *

**Later: **

All of the students in the Shaolin temple were on their knees meditating, taking in small, slow and steady breaths. Yanng took a breath and then he released it abruptly, he opened his eyes and he glanced at his brother.

"This is pointless" he whispered.

"Quiet…or you'll get us in trouble" Yinn whispered back

"What's the point of meditating?"

"To meditate" Yinn replied

"Thank you" Yanng replied sarcastically.

"I mean….." he started before Yamoto interrupted him.

"Meditation is best practiced when silenced" he said while opening his eyes and looking at Yinn and Yanng. They nodded their heads and closed their eyes again and began to mediate.

* * *

**10 minutes later**

All of the students began to file out of the room and just as Yinn and Yanng were on the way out Sifu Yamoto called their names. The two brother looked at each other and then at their instructor and proceeded to make their way over.

"Yes Sifu" they said at the same time.

"This makes the fourth time I've caught the two of you talking during mediation"

"That's my fault Sifu" said Yanng, "I just do not see the point of Meditation, especially after our training sessions"

"Yanng, after training is when meditation is most important"

"Why"

"Synergy of the mind and body is the reason Yanng. Training of our arts is for the body and Meditation is for training of the mind. We must train both our mind and body in order to created a better and balanced individual and instill inner harmony"

"But what am I supposed to think about when I'm meditating though" he asked.

"Meditation is not about thinking, it's about being, breathing, feeling yourself become one with….everything. If you can master the art of Meditation you can master control over your body to the point where you can survive without food or water for thousands of years"

"That's impossible" said Yinn looking at his Sifu.

"The mind is a mysterious thing Yinn, once you've mastered your mind there is nothing that's impossible"

Yinn looked at his Sifu and he nodded his head taking the words of wisdom to heart.

"Now I trust there will be no more talking during meditation"

"Yes Sifu" the twins replied

"Good, off to lunch"

The twins nodded their heads and turned to made their way out of the training area. Sifu Yamoto watched them leave and a smile crept along his lips, Yinn and Yanng were like sons to him. It was he that first found them outside of the monasteries doors in the dead of night. Yamoto took the boys in and have been training them in the arts since they were born, he had a very soft spot in his heart for them, but he tried not to let it show so as not to stir jealousy with the other students.

'_Those two are meant for great things'_ he thought to himself turning and walking towards the center of the training room. Sifu Yamoto gently dropped to his knees and he himself began to meditate.

* * *

**Present**

"That was my life. Our life, and we loved it, it was our home" said Yinn before he swallowed hard.

"It sounds nice" Bruce said looking at the man sitting on the edge of his bed.

"It was…..and then one day it wasn't" he replied.

"What happened?"

"A few months later, our village….our village was invaded by the Mongoloids from the North, they came by the hundred and they came unexpectedly and they came with strange weapons that are now known today as explosives. We never stood a chance" said Yinn turning to meet Bruce's eyes.

* * *

**Flashback**

**KABOOOOM! **Went the sound of explosion coming from within the village, the loud sound echoed throughout the cold crisp night. Along with the sounds of explosion there was the sound of fighting and screaming. The Mongoloids, a tribe of invading warriors had stormed the village looking to take it over, they were over 500 strong, with armored men on horseback, and explosive weapons.

"CHARGE!" came the deep booming voice of the commander of the army. He was wearing a shogun type of armor and a long sword in his hand. The men he was commanding all had similar outfits on but only their faces were showing, they gripped their weapons tightly and they charge further into the village and towards the monastery.

* * *

**Inside the Monastery **

"EVERYONE TO YOUR STATIONS!" shouted Sifu Yamoto, "GET ALL OF THE CHILDREN TO THE SECRET PASSAGE AND OUT OF THE VILLAGE! ON YOUR WAY OUT SAVE AS MANY VILLAGERS AS YOU CAN!" he continued to shout as he ran towards a rack with a Bo staff that had a long blade at one end of it. The master's of the Shaolin Temple were doing the same thing as well.

Yinn and Yanng came running through a set of doors and towards their master.

"Sifu Yamoto let us help" said Yanng.

"NO! Follow the elders out of the temple and towards the path out of the village and do it now" he replied hurriedly

**KABOOOM!** Went the sound of another explosion going off.

"No we won't leave you we can fight" Yanng replied

"Yes you can but you're not ready yet, your time will come but not today, I cannot focus on our enemy with the two of you here. Listen to me, you must leave me" he said with pleading eyes. Yinn looked at his master, the man whom he considered to be the closest thing to a father he and his brother have ever had and he realized that he was begging them to leave, and he had no choice but obey his wishes.

"Come on Yanng we have to go" said Yinn grabbing his brother by his arm.

"WHAT! You can't be serious Yinn, we have to…."

"We have to run Yanng" he said seriously staring his brother down. A second passed between the brothers and Yanng held his head down and he nodded.

"Be careful Sifu" said Yinn before pulling his brother's arm and running towards the secret passage that would allow them to follow the others.

"I will…..my sons" he said letting a small smile grace his lips, but then he wiped the smile from his face, he gripped his bladed bo staff tightly and rushed off to defend his village.

* * *

**The Passage Way**

Yinn and Yang were with the other young Shaolin warriors and the civilians of the village, they were calmly yet quickly making their way down the long rocky passage that led down the mountain.

**BOOOM! **

The brothers turned their heads back towards the burning village to see another explosion of fire and debris. Yanng balled up his fist in anger and he stopped, Yinn was a few paces ahead but he came to a stop when he saw his brother stop.

"Yanng! Come on" he said urgently

"We're cowards, we could've helped him"

"No we couldn't we would've just gotten in the way" Yinn replied rushing towards him and getting in his face.

"No that would not have happened. Yinn you and I both know that despite our age we are the best fighters the Temple has ever seen. Sifu Yamoto said it on several occasions, well if we're so great why couldn't we have stayed and proven it"

"Because we've never seen battle, we're good at sparring but in actual combat we don't have any experience…"

"WELL THEN IT'S TIME TO GET SOME!" Yanng said turning and heading back up the path, but Yinn grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Yanng you're too emotional"

"And you're not emotional enough. These bastards have come into our home and we're running away when we're supposed to be warriors. You do what you have to do and I'll do the same" Yanng replied jerking his arm out of his brother's grasp and running back up the passage way.

Yinn growled in his throat at his brother's antics, he turned his head to see everyone else still making their way down the path. He wanted to go with them but he couldn't and he wouldn't abandoned his brother, so with great reluctance he turned and followed after his twin brother.

* * *

**The Village**

Once the two made their way back up the mountain side the first thing that they saw was that Carnage was everywhere, the bodies of civilians and their Shaolin brothers alike littered the very ground they stood upon. Yinn and Yanng carefully as they could stepped over the bodies while also trying to avoid the fires and debris.

"RAHHH!" came a shout.

Yinn and Yanng looked up towards a set of stairs that would lead them back into the Monastery, and without hesitation they both ran up the steps.

* * *

Sifu Yamoto was thrown backwards, he hit the ground like a ton bricks and he released a sigh of pain, but despite the immense amount of pain he was in he wouldn't show it to the beast of a man in front him. The ruler of the tribe of Mongoloids that were attacking their village: Genghis Khan.

Genghis Khan was a tall standing at about 6'4 and was a burly looking man, complete with massive and intimidating muscles, that was seen through his battle armor. He had long black hair, scars going across his face and a long mustache. While he had the overall appearance of an aged battle scared man he was actually in his early twenties.

Sifu Yamoto had been hearing about him, he was a brute of a man, as ruthless as they come but the rumors of this ruthless and evil warrior had mostly been around northeastern Asia, never for a second did he think that he would show up on his doorstep.

"You have fought well, but in the end it was not enough" came the deep baritone voice of Genghis Khan.

Sifu Yamoto spit out some blood and stared at his foe without fear.

"I may die, but my spirit will live on"

Genghis smirked at the words and then raised his sword.

"NO!"

Genghis looked up to see Yinn and Yanng sailing his way with a flying kick, the two brother's nailed him in the chest and set him skidding back.

"You will not harm him" The twins said in unison.

"YINN! YANNG! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" shouted Sifu Yamoto blood dripping from his mouth.

Genghis stared evilly at the two and he unleashed an inhuman growl and lunged at them. They saw him coming with his sword held high and they ducked under the horizontal strike but as they duck Genghis with his left hand quickly grabbed hold of his sword and came around with the butt of the sword and smacked Yanng in the face as hard as he could. Yanng was tossed back and three of his back teeth were knocked out. He hit the floor hard and blood freely flowed from his mouth.

"Uh…" he groaned.

"YANNG!" Yinn shouted, he rushed over and he kicked Genghis in the knee making his leg buckle slightly and his temper rise even more. He quickly recovered from the slight stumbled and pressed his attack on Yinn. Genghis was fast and powerful, Yinn could barely dodge his attacks they were coming so quick, he could feel the wind coming off of the missed attacks. Yinn tried to go on the offensive but his fear was causing him to hesitate, he was afraid, afraid of the brutish man trying to kill him and that was his downfall. Yinn was on the defensive and on Genghis last attack he slipped and fell to the ground, Genghis raised his sword getting ready to plunge it through Yinn's heart but he was knocked to the ground by Sifu Yamoto.

"YINN GO!" he shouted struggling with the powerful man, "GO NOW!"

Yinn was broken from his daze by his sensei and he nodded his head, he quickly ran over to Yanng who was rising to his feet and wiping the blood from his lips.

"We have to…" Yinn started before Genghis in a show of strength pushed Sifu Yamoto off of him. He quickly got to his feet and brandished his sword and took a swipe at the rising Yamoto

"RAHHH!" he shouted in agony as he was slashed across the chest. Yinn and Yanng recoiled as they were hit with the blood of their Sensei, their Father. They looked on in horror as he fell to the ground in front of them.

"R-R-un…." He gasped out before Genghis plunged his sword through Yamoto's heart, killing him.

"NO!" they shouted in anger. Yanng growled in throat and tried to run towards their fallen master but Yanng gripped him tightly and began to yank him in the other direction, but just as they started some of Genghis' men in armor came barreling into the inner temple.

"LORD KHAN!" one of the Mongoloid's shouted, he raised his bow and arrow and let loose an arrow. Yinn gasped pushed Yanng out of the way and he took the arrow in his left arm.

"AH!" he shouted in pain.

Yanng saw his brother get shot and he began to panic, he saw more men starting to come in, he turned and glared at Genghis who was smirking at him. He reached down and pulled his brother up; he looked to the left to see an opening that was blown open. He quickly limped towards the opening and he jumped out.

Genghis and his men ran towards the opening and watched as the brothers hit the snowy ground and roll slightly down the hill and towards their burning village.

"After them" Genghis said. Several of his men jumped out of the hole and after the two teens.

"My Lord. We have discovered a passage that leads out of the village and down the mountain, we believe that some of these dogs have escaped" said one of the Generals.

"Go down the passage, find them and kill everyone. We must send a clear message."

"Yes sir"

Genghis turned his gaze away from his general and to the burning village.

"Burn" he whispered to himself "BURN!" he roared.

* * *

"YINN COME ON!" shouted Yanng dragging his injured brother; he looked over his shoulder to see several invading mongoloids chasing after them. Yinn heaved a heavy sigh; his shoulder was throbbing painfully from the arrow that was still imbedded within. He gathered his courage and he ripped the arrow out.

"GAH!" he shouted, but with the removal of the arrow the pain began to subside slightly, and now that it was going down he could concentrate on moving his feet and running away.

The two ran through the streets of their village, fire was everywhere as well as dead bodies of not just civilians but their Shaolin brethren and some of the invaders.

"THIS WAY!" shouted Yinn turning to the right. He knew there was no way for them to get back to the passage way down the mountain which meant that the only way to safety would be the river, the only problem was making it there and across the bridge.

Yinn and Yanng ran to the right

**KABOOM!** Went the sound of one of the wooded house exploding; they shielded their eyes as best as they could and kept running.

After a few tense minutes then came to a long wooden bridge that would lead them across the chasm of the mountain, Yinn and Yanng wasted no time in attempting to run across the bridge before the Mongol Warriors caught up to them.

* * *

The Mongol warriors saw the two twins running across the bridge, the general of the group knew that once they crossed the bridge it would be harder for them to catch and that would disappoint his leader and that was something he could not allow especially considering his life depended on not disappointing him. The general reached within his pouch and produced a small round black bomb. He quickly lit the fuse and he tossed it at the fleeing twins.

* * *

"We're almost there" said Yinn. Suddenly the black bomb landing in front of them, they looked down at it and the fuse and they both sucked in a breath.

**BOOM!** The blast blew the bridge apart and sent the twins flying off and down the chasm.

* * *

**Present**

"What happened to the two of you?" asked Bruce looking at Yinn.

"We fell down the chasm and into the river, where we drifted with the current….the rest is a blur but I do know that this is where my Brother and I first encountered the Lazarus Pit" said Yinn

* * *

**Past- Location Unknown**

Yinn slowly and painfully cracked his eyes open. The first thing he saw was an elderly woman looked down over him chanting in an old language. He slightly turned his head to the left to see his brother Yanng lying next to him, but he had burns all over his face and he was unmoving.

"Y-Y….." Yinn started trying to move but he felt strong yet soft hands hold him down and in place. His eyes then landed on a girl about his age.

"Be still the healing process is about to begin" she said.

The elderly woman that was chanting over him reached towards the side, Yinn followed her with his eyes and he looked to the right to see a medium sized hole filled with strange green liquid. She scooped some of the liquid into the bowl and brought it back towards him, the elderly woman tipped the bowl over him and the green mystical liquid poured all over his face.

"ARGH!" he grunted feeling the stinging liquid, Yinn's eyes then rolled to the back of his head and he passed out.

* * *

"AHHH!" shouted Yinn shooting up from his laying position. His eyes darted around in every direction and he was breathing heavily. He shakily reached a hand to his head but he groaned in pain, and his hand went to his ribs. He heaved a sigh and then looked to his left to see his brother Yanng beside him but he noticed that there were no burns on his face like he saw before.

"Careful warrior…the healing process is still in effect" came a soft voice. Yinn turned to see the girl his age was sitting Indian style watching him.

"W-Who…." He started, but had to stop because his throat was slightly hoarse, "Who are you…..where am I"

"My name is Kamala, and you are with our tribe" she answered.

Suddenly through the opening of the cavern they were in, the elderly woman walked in, she glanced at Yinn and a warm smile graced her lips.

"Hello young warrior I trust that you're feeling better" she said walking towards him, she knelt down and began to inspect him.

"I-I don't know about better…my body hurts" he replied.

"Well that is to be expected, considering how our scouts found the two of you. It will take some time for you to heal fully"

"How did you find us" he asked looking at her quizzically.

"Tell me something, what is the last thing you remember?" she asked.

Yinn looked at her and then at Kamala and then down to his hands that still had some slight burns on them.

"I…remember…"

* * *

"_COME ON!" _

_**KABOOOOM!**_

* * *

"I remember our village was being attacked and my brother and I were trying to escape and there was a-a...I don't know what it was but it was powerful and blew fire at us and we fell" he said looking at her.

"When our scouts located you and your brother both of you had washed up along the side of the river and you were both covered in burns. Our scouts brought you back to our camp just in time for me to administer the elixir of life and save the both of you" said the healer. She left Yinn's side and she went to Yanng and looked down over him, he was still unconscious but unlike Yinn his wounds were healing at a rapid rate.

"Will he be okay" asked Yinn.

"He will be fine physically" the healer responded "But his mental state is something to be seen"

"Why is that?" asked Yinn with slight worry.

"Rest young warrior all will be explained soon" said the healer putting a hand on his shoulder, "And I assure you that you are among friends…..rest"

Yinn swallowed and then slowly laid back down, his eyes began to droop and he fell back to sleep, letting his injuries heal.

* * *

**Present**

"Who were they?" asked Bruce

"They were an ancient group of mountain dwellers. The mountains have been their home for generations and the mountains have protected them from prying eyes. I remember I asked them once where did they come from and they all told me the mountains"

"So they've always been there"

"Apparently, no one has ever found them, and only a select few of them are able to leave, but Mr. Wayne if you saw the place with your own eyes you would never want to leave. When I recovered enough to walk out of the cave all I saw was beauty. Luscious and beautiful grass and trees, clear flowing water and sunlight. It was the middle of winter and yet this place felt like summer. This place was…..heaven…it was"

"Shangri-La" said Bruce in realization

"Exactly…..Shangri-La" Yinn repeated

"The Elixir the elder healer told you about, it was the Lazarus Pit wasn't it, so the pit originated in Shangri-La" Bruce stated

"Yes, it was the Lazarus Pit, but Mr. Wayne I'm not so sure that it originated in Shangri-La. My understanding of the Pit is that it has no true origin, it just is…one of the many wonders of the world….of this planet that we call home, but like everything, we humans tend to abuse these wonders. The Pit was only meant to be used for healing purposes, but if abused it can be a source of everlasting life" Yinn said.

"You mentioned usage….there is a way to use the Lazarus Pit correctly?" asked Bruce again.

"Yes. Master Wayne has informed me of your particular encounters with the Lazarus Pit and from what he tells me people submerge themselves within its properties"

"Yes"

"Mr. Wayne that is completely the wrong way to do it, you're not supposed to submerge yourself but rather apply to the injured area. For instance, if I were to have a broken arm I wouldn't submerge myself, I would take a small amount from the pit and apply it to the broken bone. The Lazarus Pit works as a healing boost, giving our bodies that extra boost to kick start our own healing abilities. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do" said Bruce in realization of Yinn's words. All of these years, and he had never once thought of the Lazarus Pit in that fashion, it was so simple that it was laughable.

"I personally have run into the man who has been abusing the Lazarus Pit and spreading the wrong message about it. I believe it a Ra's Al Ghul"

Bruce's eyes went to Yinn's at the mention of Ra's name.

"Yes, he was the one who introduced me to the Pit"

"He uses the pit as a means of resurrection, it was not meant for that purpose. We are not meant to live forever, which is why every time he uses the Pit in that form he comes back just a little bit more unhinged"

"That's what happens when you abuse things that were not meant to be abused" Bruce finished.

"A lesson I learned myself" said Yinn looking at Bruce again.

"I can see where this is going. Something happened…..to Yanng"

"Not only him, but to me as well. As you know we were both injured in the explosion. The healer when she was healing us…..she had to use more than the necessary amount on Yanng. His injuries were far more extensive than mine so she had to use more to save his life, but in doing so…he started to show signs of being unhinged. We stayed with the tribe in Shangri-La for 5 years…..but then Yanng started to reach the boiling point…..he wanted revenge against Genghis for killing Sifu Yamoto….."

* * *

**Past- 5 years Later: Yinn and Yanng- 20years old**

Yinn kissed Kamala on the lips and she returned the gesture. The two young lovers kept kissing each other until a shadow formed over him and her. They broke the kiss and looked up to see Yanng blocking the brightly shinning sun over them.

"We need to talk" he stated simply before turning and walking away. Yinn looked at his brother and then back at Kamala.

"I'll be right back" he said to her.

"Yinn….be careful….he is…" she started

"He is fine Kamala, your grandmother is wrong" Yinn replied looking at her. He turned away and followed after his twin brother.

For the past 5 years they have been living amongst the people of the mountain tribe, in their home, their beautiful home. Yinn looked around at all of the beauty from the flowing river to the snowy mountains that surrounded them and it took his breath away every single time. Yinn turned his gaze away from his surrounding area and back to his brother who was waiting for him under the shade of a tree.

"Yes, Yanng what is it that you wanted to talk to me about" said Yinn already knowing.

"Don't start with that Yinn you know exactly what I'm going to say"

"Yanng there is no need for us to fight…we're home now"

"This is not our home Yinn, this is a fantasy. Our home is beyond this place. Destroyed by that….that devil. I hope you haven't forgotten" said Yanng in a low voice.

"I haven't forgotten Yanng, nor will I ever, but you know that revenge isn't our way. It's not the way we were taught"

"I'm sure Yamoto wouldn't agree with you if he were alive. In fact I'm sure he'd be disappointed if he saw you know. Frolicking away in this place while our brothers and sisters remain out there in the cold, lost, or maybe being hunted down" Yanng accused. Yinn listened to his words and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt because it was true. He used to think about his people and his village all of the time but as the years went by he started to think of them less and less and focus on his future. Yinn backed away and he let out a sigh and he rubbed his neck.

"What are you suggesting then Yanng"

"We go and hunt down the dog that burned our village. Unlike you these past five years instead of playing I've been working…..honing my skills, and I'm ready. I'm ready to take vengeance"

"I haven't exactly been playing Yanng my skills are intact, but I feel that you are not thinking this through"

"Oh I've been thinking and the time for thinking is over…..it's time to act. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and I hope you're there with me but if you're not then I guess I'll have to face the devil…..alone" said Yanng, he swiftly passed his brother and made his way across the field.

Yinn watched him go and he released another sigh.

"It is as I told you, when exposed to excessive amounts of the Elixir of Life…the person thinks more emotionally" came a voice. Yinn turned to see Kamala standing behind him.

"He has a point though our brothers and sisters are out there, they were not as lucky as we were and found this place, and Kamala you did not see the man that ravaged our village, he has a right to be emotional"

Kamala released a sigh and walked towards him.

"What will you do Yinn?" she asked looking him in the eyes. Yinn stared back at her and he looked down. A long silence passed between the two before he gave her an answer.

"Yanng can not face him alone Kamala, he can't, he'll need my help and I must help him because he is my brother"

"How did I know you were going to say that" she replied looking away, she took a step back and looked off into the distance, "I know this is something that you have to do, so, I'll be here. I'll be here waiting for you to return, all that I ask is that you be careful" she continued turning to look at him.

"Always, I promise I will comeback to you" he said going to her. The two looked into each others eyes again and then they began to lean closer until their lips met in a tender kiss.

* * *

**Next Morning**

The yellow sun slowly peaked over the snowy mountains and spread it's warm into the valley known as Shangri-La. Yanng stood unmoving at the entrance that leads into this valley, and he stood there not with a smile but a serious look, a look of determination. He stood waiting patiently hoping that his brother was going to show. Yanng slowly turned his head when he heard footsteps approaching him, and he saw Yinn walking towards him. Yinn came to a stop next to him and turned to look at him, the twins stood there staring at each other. No words were spoken as they both took a step forward and left Shangri-La.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"He goaded you into leaving" Stated Bruce.

"Yes he did"

"What happened then?"

"We went on the hunt, we traveled all over Tibet and China for about a year and a half and we managed to find some of our brethren, they were happy to see us as we were to see them. We found enough to where we wanted to mount an attack on Genghis whose name was known throughout the whole land. We also managed to pick up some stragglers, warriors of villages that were destroyed during Genghis rise to power, my brother and I assumed command of this small army and we decided to act against him"

"You must've known that you were out numbered"

"Of course, but we devised a plan. Genghis was having a celebration in his honor in the city that is now known as Xining. Our plan was to disguise ourselves as entertainment and then strike at him unexpected"

"Element of Surprise"

"Exactly but you know what they say about the best laid plans"

"He knew you were coming didn't he" Bruce surmised.

"Yes, the Great Khan has spies all over the land and we managed to pick up one and Right when were about to attack Genghis as his men sprung and a massive battle took place. My brother and I fought our way through I don't know how many men but we were able to finally face him….and face him we did" said Yinn

* * *

**Past- **

"RAHHH!" shouted Yanng with his sword raised high, he came down slashing with all of his might at Genghis Khan who managed to block the attack, he pushed off using his strength to toss Yanng to the side. Yinn came in quickly with a low attack with his own sword but Khan was able to block the attack again, he used his free hand to back hand Yinn in the face. Yinn took the blow and came around with a swift kick to the face but Genghis saw the attack coming and he leaned back out of the way. He lifted his leg and thrusted out a kick that knocked Yinn to the ground.

Yanng had recovered and he jumped in the air and kicked Genghis in the chest and then came with his sword and slashed his chest armor. Genghis back away and then looked down at his chest and then back and Yanng and growled at him in anger. Genghis charged at his foe with a succession of quick slashes, Yanng was hard pressed to blocked them but he managed.

Yinn rubbed his throbbing jaw while getting to his feet; he saw that his brother was on the defensive so he charged at Genghis exposed back.

Genghis turned at the last second and diverted Yinn's attack directly into Yanng's shoulder.

"AHHH!"shouted Yanng in pain, he grabbed his bleeding shoulder and took a shaky step back.

"NO!" yelled Yinn seeing his blunder, he quickly turned and slashed at Genghis in anger. Genghis simply laughed at his futile attempts to strike him.

Yinn came in with an overhead strike and that's when Genghis sprung into attack he dodged the attack and landed a devastating punch across Yinn's jaw, he then knocked Yinn's weapon out of his hand and then plunged his sword through his heart.

"GUH!" grunted Yinn feeling the steel thrusted through his chest, he coughed up some blood and then fell to his knees.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Yanng cried out seeing his brother get stabbed through the heart.

Genghis yanked his sword out of Yinn's chest making blood squirt everywhere, Yinn fell to the floor like a ton of bricks. Yanng let out an inhuman growl and charged at Genghis blinded by rage. Genghis in turn held up his sword and charged at him, but just as the two were about to meet in the middle an explosion blew them apart.

**KABOOOOOM!. **

* * *

Yinn saw his brother and Genghis Khan get blown back and fire everywhere, but he had lost too much blood, his eyes began to droop and were about to close and as just as they closed he could've sworn that he saw Kamala running towards him but he couldn't be sure because his eyes closed and he died.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"You died" said Bruce with wide eyes.

"Yes, I died and I stayed dead for a few weeks, because that's how long it took my brother to get my body back to Shangri-La…."

"And the Lazarus Pit" finished Bruce

* * *

**Past- Shangri-La**

"IT IS FORBIDDEN!" shouted Kamala's grandmother. She was currently standing in front of the Lazarus Pit blocking Yanng who was carrying Yinn's body in his arms.

"OUT OF MY WAY! I CAN NOT LET HIM DIE!"

"He's already dead" came the sad and whimpering voice of Kamala, "He's gone"

"NO HE ISN'T WE CAN REVIVE HIM JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"YOU DON"T UNDERSTAND BOY HE WON"T COME BACK HE'LL BE DIFFERENT CHANGED! I"VE SEEN IT BEFORE THAT'S WHY IT'S FORBIDDEN!"

"You listen and you listen good woman if you do not get out of my way mark my words I will kill you" said Yanng in a deadly serious tone.

"Do what you must, but I will not move" she said challenging him.

Yanng nodded his head and set Yinn's body down, he straightened up and quicker than Kamala's grandmother could react he threw a perfect and powerful roundhouse kick that sent her flying to the ground out of the way

"GRANDMA!" shouted Kamala running to her.

Yanng quickly picked up his brother's body and he made his way to the pit, he gently as he could set his brother down in the green swirling mystical liquid and he watched him sink.

**STOMP! STOMP! **

Yanng turned around to several of the warriors of the tribe storm into the cavern; they saw their healer on the ground and then Yanng, without question they charged at him. Yanng seeing them as a threat defend himself.

Kamala watched with wide eyes as Yanng took apart the guardians, she turned her eyes to her grandmother to see blood dripping out of her mouth.

"Grandma" she whispered.

**SPLASH!**

Kamala turned her eyes to the Lazarus Pit and she could see that mystical liquid was splashing around and suddenly a hand burst through the pit and to the cavern floor, she shakily stood to her feet and walked towards the hand.

"RAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" came an inhuman shout and a resurrected Yinn pulled himself out of the pit and to the cavern floor. He was breathing heavily and his eyes had a crazed look within them. He stood and looked around.

"Yinn" whispered Kamala and Yanng at the same time.

"HE HAS DONE THE FORBIDDEN!" shouted one of the guardians in the cavern, he ran towards Yinn and Yinn acted on pure instinct and cocked his fist back and punched the approaching guardian in the throat killing him.

"RAHHHHH!" Yinn shouted again. The other guardian began to rush him as well as Yanng.

Yinn in his crazed state continued to act on his instinct and that was to quickly kill anyone that got in his path. Several guardians came at him and he dodged their attack and landed deadly blows.

Kamala looked on in shock as the man that she loved was killing her brethren.

"No" she whispered, "NO YINN!" she shouted running towards him.

Yinn tossed one of the guardians across the cavern and into the wall,

"YINN!"

He swiftly turned and he grabbed Kamala by the throat with both hands and immediately began to apply pressure, strangling her.

"Y-Y-Yi-nn" she struggled, but her pleas fell upon deaf ears. She struggled against his strong grip and she kept struggling but soon her struggles began to stop.

Yanng kicked the last guardian in the face knocking him out and he looked at his brother who was strangling Kamala.

"YINN!" he shouted running over, he jumped on his brother's back and wrapped his arms around his throat, "YINN CALM DOWN IT'S ME! IT"S YANNG!" he shouted in his ear.

Yinn dropped Kamala to the ground and began to struggle with Yanng.

"IT'S YANNG! YANNG!" he yelled again. Yinn flipped him off his back and down to the ground, Yinn held up his fist ready to bash his brother's skull in but he stopped. His heavy breathing began to subside and a look of recognition passed his face.

"Y-Yanng" he said after a long minute, he released his brother and he put a hand to his head, "W-What happened"

"You're alive" Yanng replied.

Yinn looked around at the bodies, the memories of his actions flashing back to him and his eyes immediately landed on Kamala, a look of horror crossed his face and he scrambled over to her.

"KAMALA!" he yelled cradling her in his arms, he tired shaking her but it was no use, she was dead, tears began to fall from Yinn's eyes.

Yanng rubbed his neck and he turned to the entrance, he could hear more foot steps heading their way. He quickly went over to his heartbroken and crying brother and grabbed his arm.

"Come on Yinn we have to leave…WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!" he said urgently, but Yinn was unmoving. Yanng grabbed his brother under both his arms and he began to drag him to another exit out of the cavern.

"KAMALA!" he shouted in despair as he was being dragged further and further away, "KAMALA!"

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"….I'm sorry" Bruce said after a long pause. Yinn swallowed hard and he put a hand to his eyes.

"If don't want to continue…"

"No, I do, just give me a moment. That was one of the most heartbreaking moments in my life. I murdered the woman I loved"

"It wasn't your fault, the Lazarus Pit"

"Mr. Wayne I've told myself that line a million times but the fact still remains. With my own hands I murdered her"

Bruce looked at the sadness that radiated off the man in front of him, he could relate to the feelings that Yinn was feeling, because when he was younger he used to blame himself for his parents murder. He could remember countless nights where he would blame himself for getting scared at the theater and urging his father to leave the theater. If they wouldn't have left the theater early then they wouldn't have run into the thief that gunned them down in the alley. He also remembered the day that he stopped blaming himself and he began to blame the criminal and all the other criminals alike because on that day, was the day that Batman was born.

"What happened after that Yinn?" he asked.

"I became a shadow of my former self. I lost myself in alcohol, gambling and women, just drowning myself, doing anything to ease the immense amount of heartache and guilt that plagued me but nothing helped. I became useless in the eyes of my brother so he abandoned me in a small village and he continued his pursuit of Genghis Khan"

"Did he ever find him?"

"Yes and No, I lost contact with my brother for 12 years, but during that time Genghis Khan was still alive or at least it appeared that he was still alive. Forgive me, but this is the part of the story where it gets a bit confusing"

"Endings are like that sometimes, but trust me I think I'll be able to follow" said Bruce

"Hmph….amazing how alike you and your son are Mr. Wayne. I believe he said those exact words as well" Yinn replied, "Very Well, the ending of my tale begins with a dream"

* * *

**Past- Dreamscape- Yinn's Mind**

The 32 year old Yinn sat alone on a boat in the middle of an ocean. He wasn't too sure which ocean it was but it didn't matter, all he knew was that he was alone in an ocean of sadness. Yinn's boat began to move and shift along the water, first it started softly but then it began to grow violent. Yinn grabbed onto the sides of his small boat for dear life as the water beat against him, a shadow began to form over him and he turned to see a giant tidal wave of water towering over him. He was helpless as the tidal wave swept over him and crashed down on top of him.

Yinn struggled against the water but no matter how hard he struggled the water kept dragging him down, deeper and deeper towards the ocean depths.

* * *

Yinn opened his eyes and he looked around, and to his shock he was back at the Monastery in Tibet. He looked down to see he was in his orange Shaolin training robe and he was on his knees, Yinn was about to rise when a voice that he hadn't heard in years called out to him.

"Sit" the voice commanded him. Yinn stopped his movements and he turned to the left to see a swirl of mist, the mist formed into Sifu Yamoto.

"S-Sifu" Yinn stuttered see him.

Yamoto walked towards him and sat down on his knees next to him. A long pause passed between the two men, neither said anything they simply enjoyed being in the other's presence, because it had been years since they've done so.

"What is troubling…."

"How are you here…..is this a dream?" asked Yinn.

"The how I'm here is not important my son, all that matters is that I am here, and this is something more than a dream"

"What is it?"

"That's for you to decide. Now what seems to be troubling you my son?" asked Yamoto

"Sifu, I've….I've done something terrible, a-a huge mistake. I've…. taken the life an innocent person and not just any innocent it was the woman that I loved. I….." Yinn started before hanging his head in sadness. Yamoto glanced at Yinn and he let out a sigh.

"We all make mistakes Yinn, that's what makes us human"

"I know Sifu, but…..but the guilt that I feel is so overwhelming"

"That is normal my son, but you can't let your guilt overwhelm you like you've been letting it"

"What else am I supposed to do Sifu?" he asked.

"Accept your mistake…..and Atone" he replied.

Yinn turned his head and he looked at Yamoto.

"How?" Yinn asked.

"That's for you to decide Yinn, you must determine how and for how long you must atone for your mistake" Yamoto answered. Yinn turned away from Yamoto and he looked down at his hands, he let the words from his master sink into his brain and he determined that he was right. He must make up for his terrible mistake and he shouldn't let the guilt of that mistake drown him. He had been wallowing in self-pity for too long, it's time for him to accept his deed and do something about it.

"I understand Sifu and I will atone for my mistake, but where do I start?" he asked.

"Yanng" a new voice called out to him.

Yinn recognized the voice and he turned to the right, the brightly shining sun shined brightly and from the light out stepped Kamala and she looked just like Yinn had remembered her. Acting on instinct he jumped up from his spot and ran towards her and hugged her will all of his might.

"Kamala….I'M SO SORRY" he said as he buried his face into her hair.

"I know Yinn I know" she replied breaking away from his slightly, she reached up and place a hand on his face, "It wasn't your fault Yinn, it wasn't. I know that wasn't you that emerged from the Elixir and I want you to stop blaming yourself. I know that you loved me just as you know that I love you no matter what"

Yinn leaned down and kissed her on the lips and she kissed him back but after a few seconds she broke away from him.

"If you want to atone for your mistake you can start with Yanng, he is growing out of control"

"I haven't talked to him in over 12 years"

"And in that time he has been abusing the Elixir of Life…..he has been using it to rejuvenate himself after his battles and in doing so he has extended his life span. The Elixir was not made for that…you must stop him before he shares the secret with others. Man was not made to live forever and that's what will happen if more find out about it and uncover its properties" she said.

"You were once lost….now you are found my son. Your brother is lost as well…..it's time for you to find him and remind him who he is" said Yamoto walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder,

"I will, I promise" Yinn replied looking between the two

"And I'll be here waiting for the both of you" Yamoto stated

"And I will be here waiting for you" said Kamala looking Yinn in the eyes.

"Make us proud" they both whispered before taking a step back and disappearing into the sunlight.

"Wai…." He started to shout before everything around him began to disappear.

* * *

"GUHH!' Yinn gasped through the water, with renewed vigor and strength he began to kick his legs and swim towards the surface. The water swirled and thrashed trying to stop him but he pushed through and fought his way through the thrashing and kept going, he could see the sunlight, it was getting closer and closer and closer until he broke the surface.

* * *

**Reality**

Yinn's eyes opened and it stared at the wooden ceiling above him. He slowly sat up and as he sat up the bottle of alcohol rolled off of him and it fell to the ground with a loud crash. Yinn heard mumbling and he turned to the left to see two women in the bed with him and the events of the night before came back to him, but the night events did not overpower the intense dream he just had. He rubbed his eyes and got out of the bed he was lying in and headed to the bathroom.

He entered the bathroom and he went to the mirror and he looked at himself. He was no longer bald headed, his hair had grown out and reached his neck, he had a thick beard that covered his once clean shaven face. He rubbed his jaw and then stepped out of the bathroom for a second. He returned with a sharp knife, he dipped his hands in the bowl of water on the counter in the bathroom and he rubbed it on his beard. He then held up his knife and began to shave his face.

* * *

An hour later a new and improved Yinn stepped out of the brothel he was in and into the busy street of the city. He looked to the sky and at the sun and he took a deep breath.

"I will make the both of you proud" he said before he turned to the right and began his long journey of atonement.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"I set out to find Yanng"

"Where did you start?"

"Well Kamala told me that Yanng had been abusing the Lazarus, there was only one place the Lazarus was located and that was in Shangri-La, so that is where I went. It took me a year and a half to get back there but once I got there…."

"You didn't find him did you" stated Bruce.

"No I didn't find him, what I did find though was a graveyard. Shangri-La was once housed by peaceful individuals, but all that remained of them were skeletons. They had been slaughtered"

"By Yanng" Bruce finished

"It had to be by him, no one else knew the location. It was then that I set off to find Yanng again since he wasn't at Shangri-La"

"Genghis Khan" Bruce stated.

"Correct, I knew that as long as Genghis was still alive Yanng would always try to kill him, so he wouldn't be too far. It didn't take me long to find Genghis. His name was known throughout the land, I followed along his trail until he landed in what is now Beijing. I was staking out Beijing and all of Genghis' bodyguards and army and that's when I saw him"

"Yanng"

"Yes, only Yanng wasn't going by the name Yanng. He was going by the name Genghis Khan"

Bruce's eyes widen at the revelation.

* * *

**Past- Beijing- Palace**

In the dead of night Yinn stealthily snuck into the Emperor's palace, the home of Genghis Khan.

Yinn hugged himself to the shadows as a few armored guards patrolled the area; once they were gone he proceeded to make his way towards the Emperor's quarters.

* * *

Yinn rounded the corner and he saw two guards standing guard at the Emperor's door. Quicker than they could react Yinn charged and landed several pressure point blows on their necks and caught them both before they could make any noise. He silently dragged them away from the door and into a darkened area where no one would see them. Once the guards were taken care of Yinn went back to the door and he silently opened it.

* * *

Yinn walked into the room that was slightly lit but to his shock the bed was empty. Yinn's instincts kicked in and he ducked just as a flying kick sailed over his head. Emperor Yanng turned quickly and for the first time in over 12 years the twins brothers looked at each other.

"Yinn"

"Yanng"

Yanng smiled and took a step forward and embraced his twin brother.

"It's been too long brother….too long. I see you've taken care of that beard" he said with large smile on his face.

"Yanng. What…." He started.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm in the Emperor's Palace right…"

"And why are they calling you Genghis Khan"

Yanng took a slight step back and laced his hands behind his back.

"You've missed a lot Brother. Many events have transpired since our departure from each other"

"Enlighten me" Yinn replied

"Well after I left you in the village I renewed my quest against Khan but this time I approached the task of assassinating him from a different direction. I decided to take a page out of Khan's own book; since I couldn't destroy him from the outside I was going to destroy him from the inside"

"Spies" said Yinn

"Yes, I started my own my spy organization. I trained them and sent them out to infiltrate Khan's army. Because of their immense skill and a little bit of help from me they rose through the ranks until they became the trusted members of Khan's inner organization"

"Where you staged a coup" Yinn deduced

"Four years ago to date. I usurped power from Khan"

"You killed him"

"Of course I did"

"How?"

"I simply walked up behind him…..and I stabbed him in the heart."

"Why keep his name"

"Because it would have been far too tedious and time consuming to convince the rest of the world to follow behind someone named Yanng. Khan had already succeeded in bringing most of Asia under his grasp, so I figured why rock the boat. Plus Yanng doesn't ring fear into the hearts of people like the name Genghis Khan"

"How do you explain that to the people, they know what he looks like?"

"I wear his armor when I'm in the public, but most of his men are my men anyway"

"But you're keeping the name of the man you hate alive"

"I am beyond my hatred of him Yinn, especially since I can find solace in the fact that he's dead, but enough about that…..I can't believe you are here. You can now take your rightful place by my side brother"

**BAM!** Several guards came bursting through the doors with their weapons out.

"My Lord"

"Relax" Yanng stated to the guards "There is no danger"

The guards looked back and forth between Yinn and Yanng in confusion.

"My Lord who is…" started one of them before being interrupted.

"My twin Brother. I want you to clear out a room for him, make him feel at home, have the best wine placed in his room as well as several of the women from the brothel, and I want you to do it now"

"Yes sir" the guards replied without question.

"Yan…."started Yinn

"Non-sense brother. I already know what you're going to say so don't, you deserve the best and you will get the best. We will talk more in the morning, I've had a tiring day and I need to rest" said Yanng with finality.

Yinn looked between his brother and the guards, he decided that fighting right now would not be in his best interest, he needed sometime to devise a plan, so he reluctantly nodded his head and followed behind the guards. He glanced over his shoulder at his brother who was still smiling at him.

* * *

**Next Morning**

Yinn entered his brother's quarters again, he saw his brother standing on the wooden balcony overlooking the city that was to be Beijing and he made his way over standing next to him.

"Magnificent isn't it" Yanng said admiring the capital city

"I've never been one for large cities you know that"

"Still stuck in the small village mind frame I see"

"What are you doing Yanng; you're taking over the legacy of a Tyrant"

"Where you see a Tyrant I see a Genius. This land is vast and glorious, Genghis while maybe a bastard had done what many have dreamed, he has united everyone and everything under one banner"

"But he's crushed people under his boot in his pursuit or have you forgotten about our village"

"I haven't forgotten, I have avenged our people and reclaimed our honor. Now that my revenge has been satisfied I see the logic in destroying our village"

"L-Logic" Yinn gasped in disbelief "There was no Logic in…"

"Fear Brother. Instilling fear in those that you are trying to rule over"

"What….Yanng you're not thinking clearly"

"Oh but I am Yinn, I told you I had to take a different approach to killing Khan right. Well in the time between training my spies and exacting my revenge I began to study Genghis, I mean really study him. I went on a quest to understand the man I was trying to kill and in my quest I realized that he had a brilliant idea. Unification is the only way to achieve true peace. You see brother Khan wanted peace just as much as we did, but the only way to have that peace is for there to be one ruler over everything, an unquestioned leader who makes decision for everyone. Genghis attacked without warning, I however give the leader of every city and village fair warning. Unfortunately though, the quest for peace is often met with resistance and measures must be taken, but those measures are with the least amount of damage and loss of life. I'm doing this for the greater good. Ask anyone, go out into the city and they will tell you their lives are better"

"Greater Good" Yinn repeated looking at his brother in a new light. The brother that he had known was gone.

"Yes, the greater good"

"My Lord there is something you need to attend to" came the voice of one of his General's a young man in his early twenties.

Yanng turned to the young General and nodded his head.

"I must go now brother, I want you back at the palace by nightfall there is something that I want to show you"

"What"

"It's a surprise" Yanng said with a smirk before walking away leaving him alone.

* * *

**Later**

Yinn slowly walked through the streets of the future Beijing. He didn't know what to make of his brother. Kamala told him that the Elixir had altered his thinking but he didn't know by how much. His brother had gone completely off track to the point where he didn't even recognize him. Yinn was so consumed by his thoughts on his brother that he didn't notice someone sneaking up on him until the last minute. He swiftly stepped to the side and avoided the knife to his back; he grabbed the offending hand and deftly flipped his attacker over and to the ground. Yinn looked down and the person he flipped over and to his surprise it was a young 15 year old girl. She was struggling with all of her might but Yinn's grip was too tight.

"What are you doing young lady?" he asked her curiosity in his voice.

"I'm murdering the man who destroyed my home….and killed my parents" she growled back.

Yinn looked around to see several eyes looking at the two of them, not wanting to attract the eyes of the guards patrolling the city he quickly disarmed her and picked her and dragged her away and she was struggling with every step.

* * *

"Let go of me" she growled. Yinn dragged her to an alley between two shops and he pushed her against the wall.

"Calm down"

"NO! I'LL KILL YOU!" she shouted again, staring at him with hate in her eyes.

"You've seen my face before" He deduced. She looked at him in confusion for a second.

"Of course I've seen your face before"

"Where?"

"You don't remember"

"Where?" Yinn stated again.

"Two months ago….the village to the west. My father wouldn't join your so called empire so you murdered him in front me and then my mother and brother. You then burned my village down to the ground"

Yinn gritted his teeth as he listened to the girl's story. The Girl stopped her struggling and she looked at the man holding her. While she would never forget his face, his aura did not feel the same as the man who killed her father. He seemed more peaceful.

"You're not him are you?" she said after a long minute. Yinn turned his gaze back to her.

"No, the man you speak of is my twin brother"

"….Twin" she repeated "Well your twin is evil"

"I know"

"He's a bastard and….."

"I KNOW!" he shouted at her, "I know, and it's up to me as his brother to deal with him, "Listen to me, your parents murder shall not go unpunished. I will see to my brother for you, do you understand"

The young girl nodded her head.

"Where am I supposed to go…..I have no home" she said.

Yinn reached down to his belt and he removed a pouch that was full of money and he handed it to her.

"That should be enough for you travel to the next village and join one of the schools"

The girl nodded her head again and proceeded to walk away leaving Yinn alone with his thoughts, and one thought was on his mind….he had to deal with Yanng.

* * *

**Hours Later- Nightfall**

Yinn, Yanng, and several other of his most trusted guards were on horseback. They were riding towards the outskirts of the city. Yinn followed side by side with Yanng as they rode.

"OVER THERE!" Yanng shouted point to the right and to a mountain. Yinn direct his horse towards the right and he saw a few guards with Lanterns standing next to what looked like an entrance to a cave.

The brothers and the guards jumped off of their horses and walked towards the cave entrance. The guards saluted their leader and let them pass.

* * *

Deeper and Deeper they ventured into the cave until Yinn could hear the distinct sounds of men grunting and a familiar green glow just up ahead. Yinn and Yanng walked a few more feet until Yinn suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"No" he whispered, but his brother heard him.

"Yes" He stated.

There in front of Yinn was a giant hole filled with the mystical liquid…the Elixir of Life.

"Welcome to the Lazarus Pit" said Yanng with pride.

"Lazarus" Yinn repeated looking at the pool of liquid. There was more in the pit in front of him than the one in Shangri-La.

"Yes, I named it Lazarus. You see Yinn what the healer failed to tell you was that Lazarus is all over the world. It took me several years to locate this one"

"How did you locate it?" asked Yinn with a dark look in his eyes.

"Well when you've been in its healing properties as much as I have, you tend to develop a sixth sense for when it's near. I'm sure you have the same ability you just need to…."

"STOP!" Yinn roared catching everyone's attention. All of the men digging around the Lazarus Pit trying to make it wider stopped their working and turned to the two brothers. Yinn turned and face Yanng who had a shocked look on his face.

"Yinn…."

"Yanng stop this…..you are abusing something that is not meant to be abused" Yinn growled.

"Oh and it was meant to be kept locked away, for the use of the few. No the Lazarus was meant for a greater purpose than that, it is meant to be used for the worthy" Yanng countered

"So I suppose the people of Shangri-La did not fit your greater purpose" Yinn shot back. Yanng put a look of indifference on his face as his brother talked about the people that he slaughtered.

"You went back" he stated.

"And I saw the skeletons…..how could you. They were our friends…our family. They took us in when our village was destroyed"

"I gave them a chance; they did not accept the terms"

"You're not my brother anymore are you, you are no longer Yanng. You've become the person you've spent your life trying to destroy…..Genghis Khan" Yinn said in a low voice, he then shifted his feet. Yanng noticed the movements and he caught his brother's eyes.

"Yinn, do not do this. If you cross that line there is no going back for us"

"You crossed that line first…..Khan"

In a flash of movement Yinn darted forward with a punch that Yanng dodged, he responded with two quick punches that Yinn blocked. The two brother's began an exchange filled with quick punches and swift kicks that the other's in the cave had trouble following.

* * *

The young General that was accompanying Yanng snapped out of his stupor, he had seen his master fight before but never against….himself or at this level. The General pulled out his sword and got the other guards attention.

"DEFEND THE EMPEROR!" he shouted. Running forward, the other guards broke from their own stupor and drew their swords and charged forward as well.

* * *

Yinn back fisted Yanng in the mouth and then jumped back to avoid a swipe from a sword. He swung his left leg around and nailed the young General in the stomach with a roundhouse. Yinn then had to jump and twist in the air avoiding a few swipes from the other guards.

Yanng watched as his brother fought his most trusted guards.

"YINN! BROTHER! WE DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS! YOU MUST UNDERSTAND MY LOGIC!" he shouted to his brother, "KEEP WORKING!" he roared at the men who had stopped digging. Hearing their masters' voice spurred them to get back to work despite the fighting.

Yinn stepped in with a side kicked and knocked one of the guards back and to the ground, he dropped his sword in the process and Yinn quickly picked it up and blocked a strike from the young general.

"THERE IS NO LOGIC YOU'VE BEEN CORRUPTED YANNG!" he roared back. Yinn and the General traded sword strikes, Yinn then kicked the General in the knee and hit him in the face with the butt of his sword, knocking him away. Yinn then jumped in the air and spun around with a kick that knocked the approaching guards away. He landed on the ground only to receive a kick to his side from Yanng.

* * *

One of the guards lifted his head and saw his Emperor fighting Yinn, he reached up to his nose and he saw blood dripping down his nose and growled in anger. He reached into his pouch and he pulled out an explosive. He lit the fuse and he waited for his opening.

* * *

"HA!" the twins shouted as they hit each other at the same time. They exchanged a few more blows before breaking apart.

"EVEN!" they both said in low voice.

The two geared up to go at it again when something caught Yinn out the side of his eyes, he turned to see an explosive heading his way. He acted on instinct and jumped and kicked the explosive into the air and towards the ceiling of the cave.

**KABOOOOOOM!** The explosion rocked the cave causing it to become unstable.

**CRUMBLE! CRUMBLE! CRUMBLE** went the sound of the cave violently shaking.

"YOU IDIOT!" growled Yanng.

The cave kept shaking and shaking and pieces of the ceiling began to fall down.

"CAVE IN!" one of the diggers shouted. The diggers dropped their tools and began to run for the exit.

"MY EMPEROR! WE MUST GO!" shouted the young General dodging some debris from the cave.

Yinn and Yanng engaged each other once again despite the cave crumbling all around them.

"CAN'T YOU SEE? ALL I WANT IS PEACE TOO SO NO 15 YEAR HAS TO LOSE THEIR FATHER!" Yanng shouted punching Yinn in the face.

"NOT LIKE THIS! YOU CAN"T DO GOOD BY DOING EVIL!" Yinn shouted elbowing him in the face and kicking him in the stomach. Yanng spit out some blood and faced his brother.

"THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS!"

"THE ENDS NEVER JUSTIFY THE MEANS YANNG!"

"RAHH!" they both shouted and jumped at each other. Yinn came in with a mid-ranged punch, Yanng blocked the attack and locked his brother's arms in a lock, he then head butted him and then kicked him in the chest hard sending him flying back and to the ground. Yinn slid across the ground and towards the Lazarus Pit. He pushed himself up and looked at his brother.

"YINN YOU ARE SO NAÏVE! TO SURVIVE IN THIS WORLD YOU MUST BURY SUCH THINGS! SO YOU SHALL BE BURIED!" he shouted.

Yinn got to his feet, but just as he did that his brother rolled across the ground and picked up a fallen sword and threw it at Yinn's leg nailing him in the right thigh.

"ARGH!" Yinn shouted falling to the ground. Yanng stood and looked at his brother and shook his head.

"It should be you by my side…..oh well. Good-bye brother" he said turning and running towards the exit where the young General was waiting.

"YANNG!" Shouted Yinn at the top of his lungs. He yanked the sword out of his leg.

'_I can't let him escape…..I must…stop his reign of terror'_ He thought to himself, in a last ditch effort Yinn forced himself to his feet. He held up the sword and he aimed at Yanng's retreating form and he threw it.

The sword sailed through the air and nailed Yanng in the back, the sword pierced his armor and chest.

"EMPEROR!" shouted the young General seeing the sword imbedded in his chest. Yanng fell into his arms and as best as he could he dragged him the rest of the way out of the crumbling cave.

Yinn fell down to the ground and he let out a sigh of pain, he looked up at the entrance just as a huge boulder fell down blocking the entrance and sealing him inside.

* * *

**Outside the cave. **

"GET A HEALER OVER HERE NOW!" shouted the young General at the top of his lungs as he and the dying Yanng exited the cave just as the rocks crumbled down and sealed the entrance.

The General laid his Emperor down on the ground, he quickly yanked the sword out of his back and tossed it to the ground, and he turned him over so he was lying on his back. The General cupped his Emperor's head in his hand.

"Do not die Emperor, the world needs your vision" he said urgently

"W-W-What….i-s…y-your name?" asked Yanng weakly

"My name is not important all that is important is that I'm loyal to you and you must not die"

"T-T-Tell….m-me"

"My name is…..Ra's…..Ra's Al Ghul" he replied

"Ra's Al Ghul…..p-prove…..y-your loyalty. Revive me"

"Revive you….you are not going to die my Lord….just hold for the…"

"N-No…..I'm going to d-die, but you c-can r-revive….m-me"

"Tell me how"

"Y-You must….travel to T-Tibet, to the highest mountain…..a-and…cross the river at…..t-t-the base…..and through the cavern to…..S-Shangri-La"

"That city is a myth"

"No it isn't…its real. Go there and go to cavern on the other side of the valley…..use the Lazarus….to…to…s-save m-me…" finished Yanng.

"Yes My Lord I will do it"

"Travel alone…and b-be quick….Ra's Al Ghu-l-l" finished Yanng before he died in Ra's arms.

* * *

**Cave **

"ARGH!" grunted Yinn in pain as he tied a piece of his clothing around the wound on his leg. He heaved a sigh and he looked around the darkened cave. He was completely trapped, there was no way out and no way in. The only light in the cave came from the mystical swirling liquid of the Lazarus Pit. Yinn eyed the Pit and the warm soft heat it was giving off. Realizing that for now he was trapped he crawled over towards the Pit and he sat beside it in Indian style. He breathed in deep, relishing in its warm inviting embrace. Yinn closed his eyes and he began to meditate.

* * *

**Shangri-La- Months Later**

"RAH!" shouted Yanng as he emerged from the Lazarus Pit, alive once again. He turned his crazed eyes on the only other occupant in the room, Ra's Al Ghul. Yanng lunged at the young Ra's who managed to jump out of the way.

"My Emperor it's me your General" he said frantically dodging another lung. Yanng still didn't recognize him and kept lunging at him, on his last lung he managed to grab him by the throat and lift him up off of the ground.

"M-M-Y L-L-Lord…" he gurgled out.

A look of recognition passed over Yanng's eyes and he began to break from his crazed state, he released his grip on Ra's and he took a step back.

"Ra's" he said

"Yes Emperor….it's me" he said rubbing his throat in pain.

Yanng looked around the cavern and then at the Lazarus Pit, his memories began to return to him and a smirk crossed his lips and he began to laugh.

Ra's looked at his master curiously.

"Is there something funny my Emperor?"

"Yes, All of our lives, my brother and I have fought each other and after each battle we were always even, but it seems….I've finally won" he said before laugh a little bit more.

"What now Emperor?" Ra's asked.

"Now we move forward with my plans. Ra's for your undying loyalty you are now my most trusted council, Come we have much to do" said Yanng as he made his way out of the cavern with the young Ra's Al Ghul following behind him.

* * *

**Present- Wayne Manor**

"So there I sat, for over a thousand years. I sat there near the Lazarus Pit meditating. I think because I spent so much time next to the Pit absorbing the fumes it was giving off I manage to stay young or at least youngish".

"That is truly a story and I'm sorry it's been so tragic for you"

"Through my years of meditation I've come to the realization that tragedy is apart of life, wherever there is life there will be tragedy but it is how we handle these tragedies afterwards that counts and it is there we find out who we truly are" he said looking Bruce in the eyes.

Bruce stared Yinn in his eyes and he nodded his head, because he knew exactly what Yinn was talking about, after the tragedy that happened to him he found out exactly who he was and who he forever will be.

A long silence passed between the two old warriors. Yinn took in a long breath and he stood from the bed.

"I shall alert Master Wayne and the other guests that you have awoken" he said turning and heading for the door.

"Yinn" Bruce called out.

Yinn stopped and turned to Bruce.

"You're a good man" he said. That simple statement from him meant that he was being held in high regard by one of the most skeptical people in the world, with that simple statement Yinn had received the approval of the Dark Knight himself. Yinn smirked and bowed slightly at Bruce and then continued out of the door to the downstairs living room, where another story was just finishing up.

Bruce leaned back in his bed and he sucked in a breath, while his injuries were still there and still painful he had become accustomed to it to where he could ignore it. He glanced down at the bandages on his body and he released his breath. Yinn's story had somehow re-sparked a flame within him, a fire that he thought long been put out especially since he had found someone else to carry the flame, but there it was burning brightly within him, the fire in him wasn't dead yet…. nor will it ever die. Never will it die.

'_Alright Powers…you tried to kill me, but little do you know people have been trying to kill me for years and none have succeeded and neither will you. Do you know why Powers…..it's Because I am Vengeance...I am the Night…..**I AM BATMAN!** And it's time for you to learn what that means'_

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review: Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. I really hope everyone enjoyed the back-story of one of my OC's in this story. When I first thought of Yinn, I was thinking about Alfred, I wanted to give Damian an Alfred-esque type of companion but I didn't want him to be the same as Alfred. I think of Yinn as a mash up of Alfred and Kato, he's the friend, confidant, and crime fighting partner rolled into one. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed his tale and I exposed a few revelations on how Yinn is connected to the Bat world, and I hope you all enjoyed Yanng as well because maybe or maybe not they'll run into each other again during the course of this story….it depends, mostly on if you readers enjoyed it enough and whether or not it would be good story wise for me to add in another plot element. The chapters are ticking down guys and gals, this story is almost finished and I have to tell you the finale is gonna be explosive, how you may ask well….you'll have to read to find out. So, having said that I ask again please Review(writer's fuel) and if anyone has any questions or concerns you can either leave it in the review or send me a PM message and I promise I'll get back to you ASAP…this is Nomad88 saying Later…**

**Ps: One last thing I wanna add is that, to anyone whose a history major or anyone who enjoys history I know my time table for the period I was trying to cover is probably way way off, I'm well aware of that, History isn't exactly my major…it's English with a focus on Journalism. So knowing that I ask that you just go with the flow. Anyway next story for update is Secret Warrior: Spider-man so be on the lookout for that, this is me saying Later…..**

**Next up: The Wheels of Hate **


	20. The Wheels of Hate

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS, Again I DO NOT OWN CHARACTERS, in fact ALL CREDIT goes directly to DC, DC owns everything not me. I'm in NO WAY shape or form making any money off of this story, no money is being exchanged or handed to me so I ask please…Do Not Sue Me, I have no money….seriously I don't so suing me would be pointless. Well now that we got that out of the way….onto the story. **

**Hey All, welcome back to the next exciting chapter in the Batman Beyond Universe, My loyal readers the chapters are ticking down, this story is almost at the end but…..we're not there yet. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter the background to Yinn and Yanng, because we're diving right into the next chapter. So I hope you all Read, Review (a writer's fuel) and of course ENJOY…..**

* * *

**Chapter 20: The Wheels of Hate**

**Streets of Neo-Gotham: 3:30 am**

"Uh…ahhh…." Came the pained groans of Inque. She was currently slithering across the ground attempting to reconstitute herself, but considering the fact that she had been hit with electricity and water two of her biggest weaknesses; it was proving to be quite difficult. She knew that she was far away from The Wayne Manor but she didn't know where she was, as soon as she burst through the window she had ran away but she didn't' get far before she fell and became the slithering black ooze that she is now.

"D-Damn…..can't remember ever…..being this weak' she thought to herself slithering across the ground, 'Come on…..pull yourself together damn it' she coached to herself. Pouring all of her concentration into reshaping and slowly her head began to form next her neck and then her torso and then finally the lower half of her body, but the most she could form was her battle mode, her true form took much more concentration and power and she was almost out of both. Inque knew that she was vulnerable and that she needed to get to her hide out and fast. She looked around to see that was in one of the more rural parts of the futuristic city of Neo-Gotham.

**SCREEECH! **

Inque turned her head to the sound to see a car turning a corner and speeding down the street and in her direction, she formed her hand into a spike and she waited. The car kept on her direction and just as it passed her she thrusted out her arm and latched onto the speeding car and it yanked her along. Inque slithered along the trunk of the car and over the rear windshield and to the roof where the driver luckily had his sunroof wide open enjoying the nighttime breeze, completely unaware of her presence. She lifted her spiked hand and thrusted it through the open sunroof. The spike pierced through the skull of the driver and with her remaining strength she yanked the driver out and threw the lip body to the street uncaringly. The car began to swerve but Inque quickly dropped down into the driver's seat and steadied the vehicle before it crashed into the curb. She made a sharp turn to the left and she drove away into the night with the intentions of heading back to her hideout to recover and plan her next move, knowing that Powers will not be pleased because she had have failed to kill Bruce Wayne yet again.

* * *

**Powers Secret Lab**

The brightly glowing neon green Derek Powers stormed into his secret lab scaring the life out of the gathered scientist that were working tirelessly. The scientist took one look at him they could tell that he was extremely upset. It was all in his upright posture, the clenching of his fist and the fact that since his skin was transparent they could see his skull and his teeth, and they showed that his eyes were narrowed and his teeth were grinding. All of the classic key signs pointing to someone that was extremely angry.

"M-M-Mr….P-Powers S-Sir…." stuttered one of the scientists going over to him.

"Do I look like I'm in the talking mood" he said in a dangerously low voice

"N-No…S-S…"

"AND YET YOU"RE STILL TALKING! GET ME SOME MORE SKIN YOU IMBECILE!" Derek shouted at the top of his lungs making himself glow greener and some of his radiation to emit off of his body melting some nearby machines. The sound of Derek yelling spurred the scientist into immediate action, they began moving about the lab, hurriedly turning on and prepping the machine that would graft skin polymer to their irate boss.

Derek growled low in his throat and walked down the set of stairs, he started grabbing at the remaining portion of his clothes that hadn't burned away during his fight with Zander and the mysterious man in the Gray cloak.

All during his drive over to his lab he couldn't help but think about the events that transpired not even a full hour ago. Zander the top General in the lethal organization of Kobra had returned to kill him, but in his return he had transformed into a hideous monster.

'_Zander…..the nerve gas affected him as well it seems. Turned him into some type of man sized snake'_ thought Derek as he approached and then laid down on a familiar looking table, once on the table his eyes focused on the lowing top portion of the machine that would bestow him with his synthetic skin again.

**CLUNK!** Went the sound of the machine enclosed upon him with a loud hiss. The machine gave a loud hum and a few wisps of steam seeped out of the cracks of the machine.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

The top of the Machine rises and a fully restored Derek Powers could be seen laying on the table. He opened his eyes and he took a deep breath before sitting up and eyeing his new skin.

"Mr. Powers your synthetic skin is now intact and everything is reading normal" came the voice of one of his scientist.

"Excellent" he stated rising from the table, another one of the scientist that wasn't in a radioactive suit walked over to him and handed him a fresh pair of clothes and he snatched it away from the man and he proceeded to get dress.

"Tell me….how goes the work on the nerve gas?" he asked while pulling up his pants. The leader of the project made his way down the stairs and towards Derek, he was wringing his hands nervously all the while he was walking and that was because he knew of his Boss' quick temper and the fact that he wasn't going to like the news he was about to impart upon him.

"Mr. Powers….." he started.

"Spit it out" Derek snapped as he put on his shirt and then his jacket.

"Well….. we were able to create more of the nerve gas but the quantity that you asked for….we can not meet it"

Derek adjusted the black jacket on his body and then he turned his head to the scientist and gave him an icy stare.

"Can you repeat that for me?"

"The quantity sir….we can't mass produce that amount"

Derek reached out and grabbed the scientist by the front of his radioactive suit and effortlessly lifted him up.

"Why" he growled.

"Frankly Mr. Powers it's because of Bruce Wayne. The hazardous chemicals we used to create the first batch of nerve gas was imported from your shell companies across the U.S. and a few from across the seas, but thanks to the return of Bruce Wayne there is a seize order in place."

"A seize order" Derek repeated.

"Yes, when we try to order a shipment from anywhere it has to be sanctioned by Bruce Wayne, if we want to use Wayne-Powers property as transport."

"Use someone else" Derek stated

"We can't, Wayne-Powers has the only proper transport capabilities. We've tried every way we know how to bypass the seize order but its air tight."

Derek gritted his teeth as he processed what the scientist told him.

"When was this seize order enacted"

"Weeks ago"

"AND YOU'RE JUST NOW TELLING ME!" Derek roared.

"We knew you would be upset if we told you this while being empty handed, so we figured if we were to create a new batch of nerve gas from the remaining reserves…."

"That it would ease my anger" Derek replied in a low voice, "WELL IT DOESN'T" he shouted.

"Mr. Powers your temper"

"DON"T TELL ME ABOUT MY TEMPER!" he shouted again turning to the offending scientist who shrunk away from the enraged man. Derek gritted his teeth more and then tossed the scientist he had hoisted up to the ground.

'Fucking…Bruce Wayne' he thought angrily, 'Hopefully Inque will have taken care of him by now….but a Goddamn seize order. I'll have to talk to my lawyers on how to bypass that it should be easy though with Wayne dead' Derek thought to himself.

"M-M-Mr…P-Powers" stammered one of the scientist.

Derek turned his attention to him.

"How much of the nerve gas do you have?" he asked

"So…you approve…."

"How Many"

"About 20 canisters"

'_Basically nothing. Until I can bypass the seize order Kobra will have to be satisfied with twenty in the meantime'_ he thought

"Prep what you have for transport and wait for my command" he stated

"Right away"

Derek straightened his coat and made his way to the set of stairs that would lead him out of the secret lab.

* * *

**Sewers**

Zander came to a stop and he leaned against the stained and foul smelling metal wall of the sewer that he found himself located within. He let out an angry hiss and slammed his scaly fist into the wall denting it from the force, he was completely furious at the fact that he didn't get a chance to slaughter his most hated enemies. The first was the enigmatic and formidable Gray Ghost. A mysterious figure that has caused him many many headaches in the past, he was the number one enemy of the Kobra organization and Zander had made it his personal mission in life to put an end to the gray cloaked bastard but time and time again the Gray Ghost has proven his cunning, his resolve, and his refusal to die. It was infuriating. Zander raised his head slightly and then flexed his claws.

"RAH!" he shouted running them across the metal of the wall metal sewer, his claws sliced through the metal like Swiss cheese.

"I SSSSHALL PEAL THE FLESSSSH FROM HISSSSS BONESSSS!" Zander hissed in anger.

**TCHSSSSSSSS** went the loud some of his tail rattling throughout the tunnel.

"Him and…Powerssssssss"

At the thought of his second nemesis Derek Powers Zander relaxed slightly. While he was angry he did get a chance to kill him he was quite intrigued at how the nerve gas transformed him as well, he looked down at his chest to saw the wounds he was sporting from where Derek had hit him with that blast of radiation. In the center of his scaly center was a nasty looking scorch mark, some blood was leaking from the wound and it was still tender to the touch but Zander paid no real attention to it, he was used to pain.

"No matter" he stated shaking himself from the memory "Powerssss shall die assss well no matter how much the gassss hasssss changed him he issss still beneath me. A sniveling coward that I ssssshall deal with" he said with conviction.

**GRUMBLE! GRUMBLE!** Zander put a hand to his stomach once he felt the pangs of hunger.

"Hungry" he whispered, he straightened up and he started his trek through the sewers once again, heading back to the Kobra hideout to find something to quell his intense hunger.

* * *

**Streets of Gotham **

Detective Montoya Bullock let out a long yawn. She was extremely exhausted but despite her exhaustion her curiosity had gotten the best of her. The flash drive the commissioner had given her had peaked her curiosity to the max. At first glance the things on the flash driver were just random notes of different type of facilities or places where things could be stored, but upon closer inspection some of the things on the flash drive were quite intriguing. For instance one of the detailed description on the flash drive talked about a facility with the capable means of housing a high in scale scientific equipment, such as: Solar radiation, Regenerative tanks and other high tech stuff and science Jargon that Montoya couldn't understand. Upon researching the scientific equipment her honed Detective mind began to kick into overdrive and question after question started to run through her mind. Questions like: Where did the Commissioner get the flash drive from, just what exactly was the purpose of the scientific equipment and why did the Commissioner want her to compile a list of places around Gotham that would fit the criteria for these places. Her mind was set into overdrive and so she sat at her desk for the next hours or so compiling the list on her computer. The list wasn't finished but so far her computer spit out the names of two places. She decided she would check these places out first tonight and then the first thing tomorrow morning she would check the other places out. The first name on the list was the name of an old bakery that had been open for the past 40 years. Montoya was able to sweet talk the elderly lady into searching her shop and even the basement but Montoya didn't see anything suspicious though so she left and crossed the name off the list. The second name on her list was the name to an Antique named: Mr. Gregg's Antique Shop, and that's where she headed.

Montoya let out another yawn as she drove her car through the Neo-Gotham air traffic.

* * *

**Sewers**

Zander came to another stop and he tilted his head upwards, and he saw the open manhole that he had used once before. He quickly made his way up ladder and he found himself in the alley behind the Kobra secret hideout. He stealthily moved through the shadows and towards the back door that would lead him into Mr. Gregg's Antique shop.

"Hungry" he hissed lowly as he opened the door and made his way inside.

* * *

**In the air **

Montoya pulled down on her steering wheel and her police issued squad car tilted and began to make its way downward.

"I think this was my exit" she said to herself as she flew lower and lower to the ground, "Yeah this is the street" she continued looking at the street signs and then at the address on her paper. Montoya looked around the neighborhood as she drove her car, she looked at the types of shops and buildings and at the people that were walking the streets and from what she could tell it was a relatively peaceful neighborhood; there wasn't any sign of any type of gangs or Jokerz activity. The neighborhood could be classified as a middle class type of feel, not quite high society but not poor either right in the middle. Montoya turned a left corner and she saw the Antique shop on the right. She directed her car towards the shop and she came to a stop. Montoya turned off the engine and she got out of the car and looked at the front of the Mr. Gregg's Antique shop.

The lights were out but the sign on the door said it was open.

Montoya slowly walked towards the shop and she peered through the glass door to the inside, she could see the Antiques but she couldn't see anyone inside, gripping the door handle she pulled it open and she ventured inside.

* * *

**Lab**

**MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH! **The mutated Zander munched upon the dead bodies of his fellow Kobra brothers in delight. He savored the taste of their flesh as it touches his tongue and their blood drips down his throat. Zander swallowed the flesh in his mouth and he picked up an arm that had been sliced off and he put it to his mouth and he took a bite.

"Hungry" he said with a mouthful.

* * *

**Up above**

Montoya walked through the Antique show looking at some of the Antiques in wonder and in awe; most of the antiques was from her father's time period. She looked at a snow globe as she smiled because in the future things that were obsolete especially when they had a machine that could make an entire room into a simulated snow globe.

Shaking her head and she broke herself from the slight waver in her object and she made her way to the front desk. She looked around for a second but then something caught her by surprise; it was a smell a very faint but distinct smell.

**Sniff Sniff Sniff**

"What is that smell" she asked herself, sniffing the air again, "I know that smell…..it's blood" she stated with absolute certainty. It was then that her Police Detective skills kicked in, she immediately reached for her gun and she cocked the hammer. She made her way around the corner and towards the back, pass the curtains where the smell was coming from.

Detective Bullock made her way through the back of the shop and she found herself standing in-front of a metal door. She glanced at the electronic pad and then down at the pool of blood that was oozing from under the bottom crack.

'Holy Shit that's a lot of blood' she thought kneeling down and getting a closer look, 'If I was a normal cop I would call for back up…..luckily I'm all the back up I need' she thought bravely to herself. She rose up and then turned to the keypad next to the metal door. Montoya reached into her back pocket and pulled out her pocket and she pulled out her swiss army knife and she selected the blade. She held the blade up to the key pad and then quickly jammed it in-between the space that connected it to the wall.

"Come on" she whispered to herself as she tugged on the knife until the whole keypad popped off of the wall and hung by its wires.

* * *

**Lab**

Zander licked the blood from his fingers and he released a sigh of content as his insatiable hunger was finally quenched. The dead bodies around him had all of the flesh ripped off so the only things remaining were the blood soaked bones and the shredded clothing. Zander licked his lips and he stood him but then he suddenly turned his head and he sniffed the air.

**SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF **

"Female" he whispered licking his lips again, his tail rattled softly behind him. He reached down and he grabbed one of the halfway shredded white lab coats and he put it on and he slinked into the darkness of the lab waiting for the female to enter the lab.

* * *

**Up above**

Detective Bullock selected some wire cutters and then she clipped a red wire and a blue wire. She grabbed hold of the two clipped wires and then touched them together.

**SWISH!** Went the sound of the door swishing open, as soon as it opened a body feel out and to the ground.

Montoya jumped slightly at the sight of the body of the dead man who had deep slashes going across his back, deep enough to even see bone.

"What the hell" she whispered. Detective Bullock gripped her gun tighter and then peered into the dimly lit lab, she then slowly ventured inside.

Montoya's eyes widen slightly at the sight of the large lab and all of the equipment that she saw and a few of the items looked familiar form her brief preliminary research.

"Commissioner just what the hell is going on" she whispered to herself, "Oh God…the stench" she said under her breath putting a hand to her nose. Once her initial shock of seeing the lab was over the rancid odor of the dead bodies found its way to her nose and made her want to gag. She looked over the railing of the upper deck and down below at the bones and blood on the floor, Montoya turned to the right to see a set of stairs that led downwards. She covered her nose and proceeded to carefully make her way down the steps.

Montoya reached the bottom of the steps and she stepped over several the bones on the ground, trying to her best to avoid them and the blood.

"Jesus…what…" she started before she heard a sound.

**TCHSSSSSSS **went a soft rattling.

Detective Bullock whipped around with her gun aimed but she couldn't see anything it was too dark.

**TCHSSSSSSSSS** she heard it again, she whipped around again because she felt something behind her but all she saw was flicker lights.

'Time to call for backup' she thought to herself slowly reaching to her belt and grabbing her radio.

"Precinct this is…"

"That…won't be neccccassssry" came a hissing voice.

"Show yourself….I'M WITH THE NGCPD!"

Suddenly a rattle tail shot out and hit her hand making her drop her radio. Detective Bullock quickly backed up and began to randomly fire in every direction.

"MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. You misssssssed"

"Why don't you show yourself and give me a better target" Detective Bullock called out, her eyes darting in every direction.

"Your fear"

"I'm not a afraid"

"I can ssssssmell it on you"

"Don't worry in a second you'll be smelling a bullet"

**THUD! **

Montoya turned around and she saw the snake like Zander charging at her.

"JESUS CHRIST!" she shouted seeing him, he lunged but she was able to snap out of her shock and ducked under his attack. Montoya straightened up and started firing at Zander. Only two of her shots hit their mark but it didn't phase him too much. He turned and whipped his tail at her but she was able to scramble back. In her scrambled she slipped in some of the blood on the floor and she fell down.

"Oomph" she grunted

"RAH!" shouted Zander jumping up in the air.

Detective Bullock from her position on the ground saw the airborne Zander in all of his glory.

'_FUCK!'_ She yelled in her mind seeing him. As quickly as she could she started to roll out of the way.

BAM! Echoed the sound of Zander hitting the floor cracking it slightly, he turned his eyes back to the Detective who was making her way to her feet.

'I can't beat him I've got to get out of here' she thought frantically, her eyes then shifted to the door on the far side of the room and she said a silent prayer hoping that it was an exit.

She turned her eyes back to Zander who had fully turned to her and had a sadistic look in his eyes.

'_I've only got one shot…make it count'_ she thought.

Zander and Detective Bullock charged each other at the same time.

"RAHHHHH!' they both yelled but just as she neared Zander she suddenly dropped to the ground and slid in-between his legs and his tail. She sprung up and made a mad dash towards the door.

Zander stopped his charge when he realized what she had done, he turned and growl at her retreating form. He had to get her because if he didn't he knew the police could potentially be on to him and to Kobra inside of Gotham.

"DAMN WOMAN!" he snapped turning and running after her.

Montoya raised her weapon and fired at the one of the tanks in the lab that looked to be filled with some type of liquid. The bullet hit the glass and cracked it and like water from a damn the liquid burst out of the tanked and it hit Zander knocking him down, which gave the Detective enough time to make it to the door. She kicked it open and ran through.

* * *

Montoya slipped but she caught herself, she saw that she was in an alley behind the shop. She turned the left and ran as fast as she could towards the front of the building where her car was parked.

* * *

**BAM!** Went the sound of the door to the shop being knocked off of its hinges, followed by the sound of a rattlesnake's tail rattling loudly

* * *

Montoya rounded the corner and she saw her car and a feeling of relief washed over her, she dashed towards the vehicle and jumped and slid across the hood and to the driver's side. She quickly opened the door and got inside and started up her car.

"Got to get…." She started before she saw Zander land on the hood of her car, "SHIT!' she shouted slamming her feet on the gas.

Detective Bullock's car roared to life and it zoomed backwards. Zander wobbled for second before sinking his claws into the hood of the car.

Montoya twisted the steering wheel and her car spun around, she was trying her best to shake Zander but he wouldn't let go. She shifted the gears on her car and it suddenly pulled up and took to the sky spiraling out of control.

Zander growled low in his throat as he held on for dear life. He turned his head slightly and then back to Detective Montoya. He lifted his rattle tail and he brought it forward bursting a hole through her window, making her stop twisted on the steering wheel.

"GO TO HELL YOU BASTARD!" she shouted at Zander who raised his clawed hand.

**HONK! HONK! HONK!** Detective Bullock turned to the left to see a flying truck heading directly for them. She quickly leaned down to the right and grabbed her seat belt tightly and braced for impact.

**BANG!** The flying truck plowed in Detective Bullock's car and sent it into a tail spin.

* * *

Zander sunk his claws deeper into the vehicle but the force was too strong and he was subsequently thrown from the car.

"AHHH!" he yelled as he fell to the ground below.

* * *

Detective Bullock's car spun in the air until she came crashing down onto a bridge where her car skidded and rolled until finally coming to a stop.

**SCREEEEEEEECH** went the sound of the several cars coming to a halt. The drivers quickly got out of their cars and they eyed the badly banged up and dented police car.

**CRUNCH!** Detective Montoya fell out of her car and on some of the glass

"Uh…." She groaned painfully. She was bleeding profusely from several deep cuts and it felt like she had a few cracked ribs but one thing she could gather from the severe amount of pain she was in was that she was alive.

"OH MY GOD ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" asked a woman running up to her.

"C-Call….A-An…Am..bulance" Montoya said before her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

* * *

**Elsewhere- Neo-Gotham Public Library**

Terminal, Bonk, and Ghoul were in the library huddled around one of the many computers. Bonk heaved a huge sigh and he cast a look at the dead librarian who was tied to a chair at the front desk and had slits along her mouth in the form of a smile. He then turned back to Terminal who had his eyes glued to the screen furiously typing away.

"Damnit Terminal…you coulda at least let me have some fun with her before you iced her" he said folding his arms across his chest.

"Bonk shut the fuck up" Terminal responded quickly still typing away.

"He kinda has a point Terminal…we did get our ass handed to us a few days ago by Batman, the gray cloaked guy and the commissioner….I think we should be entitled to a little bit of fun" Ghoul responded rubbing his neck.

Terminal stopped his typing and he looked at Ghoul and then at Bonk.

"Fun huh" Terminal repeated turning back to his computer and then smirking.

"Yeah Fun, like we used to have, before we started getting our assess kicked" Bonk responded.

"We have been on the receiving in of a few ass kickings" Ghoul added rubbing the bandage on his nose, remembering what Commissioner Gordon broke it "Stupid bitch" he growled pulling his hand away because it was still tender.

"We can't have fun until things change and believe me when I say things are about change. Since the Mayor did not agree to our deal we have to show him and Neo-Gotham who run things around here. It's not the politicians, it's not the cops and it's definitely not Batman or that gray cloaked bastard. The Jokerz run this town….**I** run this town"

"What are you planning Terminal?" asked Ghoul.

"I told you. We're going to destroy this city and from the ashes we'll build our own…..and to do that I'm plan to take out the Knightbreed, Batman and the cops in one fell swoop…..leaving it rip for the picking" he replied looking at the screen with a smile, he pressed the enter button on his keyboard and he stood up from the chair.

Ghoul and Bonk turned to the sound of the printer printing out a few pages.

"How are planning on taking them out at the same time?" asked Bonk.

"Tell me something Bonk…what do you know about the man we fashion ourselves to resemble"

"What?" asked Bonk

"What do you know about the original Joker you idiot" Terminal stated

"I know he was insane, he liked to kill people…and he knew how to have fun" Bonk replied.

"More than that though Bonk…dig a little deeper. The original Joker was all of those things but above all….he was a genius"

"I think that's stretching it Terminal" Ghoul said.

"No the man was eccentric but he was a genius above all….look at some of the crimes he committed. Expertly carried out to the T…..think about how he was able to manipulate different people to his will….and think about all of the chemicals he used to use" Terminal replied going to the printer and grabbed the sheets of paper.

"What does your creepy crush on the original Joker have to do with Batman, The Knightbreed and the cops?" asked Bonk impatiently.

Terminal turned back to his two companions and he smirked.

"Everything. The Joker liked to use a certain types of Chemicals that when combined created his trademark Joker Venom and that my friends is how we're going to deal with our enemies…..We're gonna put a smile on their face" he replied holding up the sheets of paper and walking to them. He divided the sheets of paper and he gave them both 3 sheets.

"You found his formula on the computer?" asked Ghoul

"That's right I did…it was very easy. On these sheets of paper are a list books that I need as well as the chemicals we need to steal in order to make it"

"Books. What do you need books for if you got the reciepe?" asked Bonk

"Because the toxin was easy to find but the antidote well…..I'll guess I'm going to have to figure that out on my own…should be fairly simple, now get to work the books we need are in here somewhere"

"So we make the gas and deliver it on the doorsteps of Batman, the Knightbreed and the cops….sounds good, but we don't know where to find Batman or the Knightbreed" said Ghoul.

"True….but use your head Ghoul. Batman comes running to trouble….like a moth to the flame, threaten Gotham and he's sure to show his face and as for the Knightbreed….hmph….that's being taken care of right now" Terminal replied with a smirk on his face.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's Cleaners: Underground Chamber**

"I realize that you're beginning to lose faith in me…but I can assure you that I'm with you. I am committed to the Knightbreed" came the voice of Brian Milwood aka Dagger. He was in his costume and he was kneeling before the Huntress who was sitting on her throne. Kneeling beside him was his best friend Evan aka Cloak and standing behind them menacingly was the imposing Vanquish.

The Huntress listened intently to the speech Dagger had given her about her commitment and as she listened she found herself wanting to believe him but in the pit of her stomach…the familiar feeling of doubt began to creep into her. There was something about Dagger that didn't sit well with her, but at the current moment she couldn't do anything about her doubt. The Jokerz attack on the city had depleted her forces and she was scrambling trying to get up enough fighters to stage a counter attack but that was proving more difficult that she anticipated.

The Huntress shifted in her seat and leaned forward slightly. Cloak and Dagger were two of her best and unfortunately she need both of them. She could kill Dagger but no doubt that would cause some problems for Cloak, problems she couldn't afford to have right now. She looked at Vanquish and gave him a signal with her eyes.

Vanquish nodded his head and he sheathed the knife in his hands back on his belt.

"Empress" Dagger said looking up at her.

She heaved a sigh and put a smile on her face and stood up

"I believe you Dagger and I thank you for clearing up the…..rumors as it were" she said walking down the steps and towards the three "Rise the both of you"

Cloak and Dagger did as instructed and the rose to their feet

"These are trying times our brotherhood is facing and if we are see the light at the end of the tunnel we need to be on the same page and I trust you know what the page is"

Dagger shifted and then he nodded his head.

"Yes Empress…..I know what that page is"

"Good, because if we have to have this conversation again you can trust that it will not end…..pleasantly for you" she said giving him a hard stare. Dagger looked her in the eyes and he caught her meaning, the full meaning of what she was implying.

"Don't worry Empress I understand"

"Both of you are dismissed" she said stepping back.

Cloak and Dagger bowed slightly and then turned and walked away.

Huntress and Vanquished watched the two of them walk out of the chamber and then they turned to each other.

"How is my brotherhood looking?" she asked.

"Not well my Empress….our forces are still depleted with vast injuries and deaths. I've placed a call out to our brothers in the other states but they are having problems of their own, but they were able to send us some fresh new recruits…but they won't arrive for another few days"

"Damn Jokerz" Huntress cursed under her breath, balling her fist up tightly

"A suggestion my Empress"

"Speak"

"Perhaps we should use this time to do recon on our enemies to see what they are planning."

"Who did you have in mind?" she asked

"Misfit" he replied

"No, I can't ask her to do this her powers are becoming problematic for her and this inexplicable aging"

"I realize this my Empress but our backs are against the walls, the Jokerz are a cunning enemy they always seem to be one step ahead and I believe it's time we get pre-emptive" he replied.

"If she over uses her powers….she could die"

"If I may Empress. She would die for a worthy cause…the Future of our brotherhood"

The Huntress looked at Vanquish with wide eyes but then her mind focused in on the words that he had spoken and there was great truth to what he was saying. The Jokerz were always one step ahead and it was high time that the Knightbreed gets the upper hand because if they didn't they would definitely cease to be.

"Leave me….I must ponder on this" she commanded.

"Yes My Empress" Vanquish replied turning and leaving Huntress all alone with her thoughts.

* * *

**Later Elsewhere**

Brian and Evan had changed out of their uniforms and they were walking down the street conversing with each other quietly about the events that just happen with the Knightbreed headquarters.

"That was unpleasant" said Evan pulling out a pack of cigarettes and taking one.

"You're telling me…you weren't on the receiving end of those dead eyes" Brian replied shaking his head.

"That's very true but I felt some of it" Evan replied with a smirk.

"Listen I know what I said back there but Evan you know how I feel about killing"

"Yeah I know but dude you're gonna have to get over that….these guys are not innocent they all deserve to be put down" Evan replied putting the cigarette in his mouth and then lighting it.

"No only one of them deserves to be put down and that's…."

"Terminal" Evan finished and then came to a stop

The turned to each other and Evan let out a puff of smoke

"Bri…you're my best friend but if we're gonna do this then we have be all in…there are no half-way with this and like I said the last time I stood up for you so my ass is on the line, this is both of our lives"

"I know" Brian replied

"If you're still having doubts about whether or not killing is the right thing to do…..go and talk to one of the hundreds of people who have been on the receiving end of a Jokerz attack…better yet go downtown where they are still doing repairs. I went down there the other day and they are still pulling bodies out of the rubble or….you can always go with me to the cemetery and look at my sister's grave" he said

Brian looked at Evan and he could see the hate in his eyes, this was the first time in a long time since Evan has mentioned his deceased sister.

**SCREECH! **

Brian and Evan looked to see the bus coming to a stop in front of them and the doors swished open.

"Here's my ride….I'll talk to you tomorrow Bri" said Evan blowing out some smoke and then getting aboard the bus leaving Brian standing on the corner by himself.

Brian watched the Bus drive off down the street. He shook his head and he started off down the street in the opposite direction of the bus, he only had one thought on his mind and that was to go home and get some much needed sleep hoping that the answer he was seeking would find him in the morning.

* * *

**House of Brian Milwood**

Brian turned the corner and he let a small smile grace his lips and he saw his house coming into view. He decided he would jog the rest of the way and he broke out into a leisure run, but as he neared his house he stopped in his tracks. Brian's eyes widen slightly because he saw his house door wide open.

"Mom…Courtney" he whispered running up to the door. He ran through the door and he hit the light switch.

"NO!" he shouted.

The inside of his house was trashed and the words **HA HA** was scribbled through his entire house in green and red paint.

Brian balled up his fist and he looked around his house but then his blood ran cold when on the ground of the kitchen he saw a body. He slowly walked over to the body and he saw that it was his mother. He walked over and collapsed to his knees; he grabbed her body and turned her over. He averted his eyes because his mother's face was painted chalk white and her mouth was slit to form the Jokerz famous smile and her throat was cut. Her body was ice cold which meant that she had lying there for a while, Brian silently rocked back and forth letting the tears flow from his eyes freely as he turned back to look at his mother, he pulled her body close and cradled her in his lap.

"I'm Sorry I wasn't here" he whispered tearfully holding her tightly. He let a sob but then something caught his eyes; it was a disc that had play me written in his mother's blood.

He wiped his eyes and he grabbed the disc. Brian stood from his spot and he walked over to the TV in their living room turning it on and then putting the disc in the player.

* * *

**DVD**

"_NOOOOO!" shouted his mother before Chucko slit her throat and then pushed her to the ground. The camera shifts to Delia Dennis smiling. _

_Delia: Hiya doing Brian….hopefully you're doing much better than your mother HAHAHAHAHAHA! And I know you're doing much better than your sister." _

_The camera shifts again to show his sister tied up with duck tape over her mouth and a gash on her head. _

_Delia: A little birdie told us that you are with the Knightbreed which is good for us and as you can see it's pretty bad for you….if you ever want to see your sister again you'll do exactly what Terminal says. We'll be in contact….stay by your phone….oh and if you think about involving your Knightbreed friends….I'll feed your sister to Woof_

_Woof: AWOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

_Delia: Toodles_

* * *

Brian sat there staring at the screen replaying the message in his mind over again.

"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared in absolute rage. He shot up and grabbed the television set and he threw it across the room where it shattered to bits.

"RAHHHHHH!" he continued to yell, "TERMINAL YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! THEY'LL ALL PAY! I'LL KILL THEM ALLLLLLL! EVERY LAST FUCKING ONE OF YOU!" he yells grabbing an overturned chair and throwing it across the room as well. Brian then sunk down to his knees again in despair and he cried well into the night.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review:  Hey everyone it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. First things First I know it's kinda of a short and sweet chapter, probably one of the shortest I've ever written but after I wrote it up this is where I wanted to leave it. I didn't want to add too much into this chapter, plus the last couple of chapters have been super long. I just wanted to cover the antagonist in this chapter which kinda sets up the rest of the chapters. The pieces are being moved into position for the epic conclusion of this story and I know it got kinda dark and graphic at the end there but you know that's why it's rated M. Also if anyone is wondering on the timeline…this chapter is happening the same time as the Fall of Batman, this is the same night that Inque attack Bruce and Barbara and Damian are talking to Terry and Yinn talking to Bruce. So all of this is happening at the same time. The next chapter is the actual next day for everyone and I can promise you that it's going to be a busy….busy day. Anyway I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and that you're enjoying the overall story. If you have any questions, Comments, Concerns or anything in-between just leave it in the review or send me a PM message and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying Later…..**

**Ps: Uh…the next story for update is supposed to be Secret Warrior Spider-man but I've been trying to up my typing for TSA: Amazing Spider-man vol 2 so I can finish out that volume by the end of the year and I'm almost finished with the next chapter….so…..you know what just keep checking to see which one I post next but rest assured there will be an update I promise….this is me saying Later….**

**Next up: Dagger Unleashed **


	21. Dagger Unleashed

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS. I repeat I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS. Any and all CREDIT goes directly towards DC, DC is the company that owns everything, so having said that I ask politely PLEASE DO NOT SUE! DO NOT SUE ME I HAVE NO MONEY, Really NONE…zip, zilch, nada….okay, now that we've established that…on with the story. **

**Hello All and welcome to another chapter of Batman Beyond, the chapters are ticking down as we draw close to the explosive ending. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter because the next one is here so all that's left to say is: Read, REVIEW (A WRITER'S FUEL), and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Dagger Unleashed**

**Next Day: 6:35 am: Milwood Household**

"I have a confession to make. After Dad's death I did something…..something that probably caused all of this, but when he died I was so…. so angry. I didn't show it because I wanted to be strong for you and for Courtney but all I knew at the time was anger and hate. The anger that I felt was directed at that Son of a Bitch Terminal for killing Dad but the hate….the hate was directed at myself. I hated myself for being such a Goddamn coward. I mean I saw it happen I saw it and I did nothing…..absolutely nothing. Wait that's not true I did do something….I hid…. like some frightened boy while Dad faced them on his own, unafraid..…like a man. A man I knew I would never be…." Came the voice of Brian Milwood aka Dagger. He was sitting in the kitchen of his recently trashed house with the body of his dead mother cradled ever so gently in his arms. His eyes drifted down to her face and he brought her close and touched her forehead with his own wishing to God that this was a horrible dream but he knew it wasn't. Brian's face was stained with tears but he had long ago stopped crying, his sadness had been replaced with a deep seething hatred and he knew what he was going to do but before he started on his path he felt that he owed his mother explanation for what was happening and how things had spiraled out of control. Brian pulled his head away from his mother's and he leaned against the wall again, he swallowed hard and then continued on with his story.

"I don't know if you remember…you probably don't but about 6 or 7 months ago around the anniversary of Dad's death, I was feeling especially in the dumps so Evan took me out to try to cheer me up, and being the kinda friend that he is he took me to a bar. I know, I know I'm too young to drink but it was only one drink….I wasn't even in the drinking mood…"

* * *

**Flashback- About 6 or 7 Months ago- Mike's Bar- 11:30pm**

"Evan I'm not really in the drinking mood" said Brian as he eyed the tall glass of beer in front of him.

"Yes you are you just don't know it, every year when the anniversary of my sister's death rolls around and reminds me of….when my sister was killed by those bastards the only thing I want to do was drink myself into oblivion" said Evan and he took a large gulp of his own beer. He wiped his mouth and then he turned to his best friend he could see the sadness written across his face no matter how hard he tried to hide it, it was there plain as day, "Come on Bri bottoms up"

"I don't want to drink…maybe that's how you handle your grief but that's not how I have to handle mine" Brian snapped while turning to face Evan.

"….I'm Sorry" said Evan looking at his friend, he reached up and rubbed his hand across his face and he released a sigh, "Look I just hate seeing you like this and you're always there for me….I'm just trying to be there for you" he said

Brian looked at Evan and his face softened and he let a sigh of his own and then turned back to the beer in front of him, he looked at it and then grabbed it and took a long gulp and then set it back down.

"I know Ev…..and I'm sorry I snapped at you" said Brian "It just that I don't even think beer will cure what I'm feeling right now"

"Look…..the sadness will get less intense as time goes I mean it's been like what two years but….." Evan started.

"It's not the sadness, I'm over my Dad dying, but what I'm not over…is the hatred and the guilt"

"The hatred I can understand but guilt… guilt about what?" asked Evan looking at him.

"…Nothing" Brian replied after a long minute, he grabbed his beer and then gulped the rest of it down and then quickly getting up from his seat, "Look I'll see you later Ev….." he said walking past heading for the door. Evan turned around his seat and laid a hand on Brian's shoulder

"Hey you want me to come with you"

"No, I…..I just need to be alone right now alright, I'll get with you tomorrow. Don't drink too much because you usually know what happens" said Brian with a slight smirk.

"Yeah I drunk dial my ex...yeah I know…..be careful it's dangerous out there"

"Don't I know it" Brian replied turning and leaving Mike's Bar.

* * *

**Present **

"I took a long walk that day, to tell you the truth I really didn't have a destination in mind I just kept walking and thinking and thinking until….until I…..walked into a situation that ultimately took your life Mom and got Courtney kidnapped….but the thing that you have to understand is that I couldn't…walk away….not again…"

* * *

**Past**

Brian shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and kept walking forward down the lonely street, aimlessly wandering around trying to clear his mind of his dad's death but to no avail, no matter how far he walked or how hard he tried he couldn't forget that night it will be forever etched into his mind. Once he realized that Brian came to a stop he looked up at the night sky.

"Dammit" he whispered to himself he took a few steps to the side and leaning against the building

**VROOM! VROOM! BANG! BANG! POW! POW!**

Brian ducked and looked around for the sounds of the motorcycles and gunshots, he turned around and from around the corner on the street across from him he saw a Knightbreed member emerge limping and bleeding heavily. Brian seeing him quickly hugged himself to a car that was next to him and he peeked through the widow, he could see a trail a blood leaking down the man's chest from what appeared to be a gun shot wound.

"HAHAHAHAH!" came a loud and boisterous laugh followed by the sound of a motorcycle revving up. Three Jokerz zoomed around the corner the Knightbreed member ran around and they spotted him. They quickly surrounded him and put their high beam lights upon him as well as their weapons.

Brian eyed the Jokerz and he hugged himself to the car even further trying to stop his rapidly beating heart.

* * *

_Brian: I saw them and I was instantly struck with fear and like before I hid, praying to God that they didn't see me, cursing my luck. I listened as they verbal taunted him trying to get him to make a move so they could blow him to hell. I turned away but when I turned I caught a glimpse of myself in the car window and I got a good look at myself and I hated what I saw…_

* * *

Brian stared at his reflection in the car window, he saw absolute fear that was on his face and for a second he couldn't grasp the fact that this was who he was….a coward. His mind shifted back to the night where his father was murder and he could remember how even though he was outnumbered and they had guns trained upon him he still fought. Brian lowered his head slightly and his expression turned from one of fear to one of anger.

* * *

_Brian: At that moment…something happened, something switched on inside of me….a flame ignited and I could feeling it burning…burning….and then it exploded._

* * *

Brian balled up his fist tightly and he stood up eyes trained upon the three Jokerz with their backs to him. He turned to the left to see a trash can with a two-by-four wooden plank sticking out, setting his mind on what he was going to do he walked over and grabbed the plank.

* * *

**Across the Street**

The Knightbreed member grabbed his chest in pain, he stared up at the Jokerz in front of him and he knew that this was the end, he was barely listening to their taunts not even caring what they were saying. He looked at their weapons and prepared himself but then that's when his eyes caught the sight of guy no older than about 19 or 20 with a two-by-four in his hands walking towards the Jokerz.

"Knightbreed bastard….you thought you could take us on HAHAHAHA" laughed one of the Jokerz.

"Fucking idiot" chimed another Joker

"When will you caped morons understand this is our city you can't beat us you can't beat…you can't defeat…" started the last Joker before begin smacked in the head by the wooden plank.

**SMACK! **

"Ufff" grunted the Jokerz as he went down to the ground nose broken and blood flowing profusely.

Brian wasted no time in swinging the plank and hitting the Joker in the middle in the chest and knocking him off of his motorcycle.

"WHAT THE…." Started the last Joker as his eyes landed on Brian, "You idiot you know who you're fucking with" he said turning his gun on Brian and pulling the trigger.

**CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! **

"Huh?" said the Joker looking at his gun in confusion, he pulled it three times and each time it jammed. Brian held up his plank and he swung it with all of his might and smacked the last one in the face knocking him out as well as sending teeth flying. Once the Jokerz were dealt with Brian released a sigh he didn't know he was holding, he dropped the bloodied two-by-four and he turned to the Knightbreed member who had collapsed to the ground. Brian ran over to him and turned him over and looked at him.

"Are you….."

"BACK AWAY FROM HIM!" came a shout.

Brian whipped around to see a taller man decked out in a Knightbreed outfit, the man lunged forward and grabbed Brian by the front of his shirt and lifted him up off of the ground.

"V-Vanquish….s-stop" came a weak voice. Vanquish turned to his fellow brother, he tossed Brian away and he leaned down.

"Thomas" Vanquish whispered.

"H-He….h-h-helped me, but…I-I f-fear it's t-too…. l-l-ate" Thomas whispered before he died.

Vanquish looked at his fallen brother and he reached up and closed the lids of the man named Thomas.

"Farewell Brother" Vanquish said under his breath.

"Is he…..Is he dead?" asked Brian rising to his feet.

Vanquish quickly stood and held up his crossbow at Brian's head.

"Why did you help him?" he asked/demanded.

"What…"

"ANSWER ME WHY DID YOU HELP HIM!"

"Because I couldn't let these Joker bastards kill him…they've killed too many people already" Brian replied staring at the crossbow.

Vanquish listened to him and he heard the last part of Brian's statement and his curiosity peaked.

"They killed someone close to you didn't they?"

"…."

"You don't have to answer it's written all over your face. The Jokerz….are out of control….they need to be brought to justice…How would you like to see that they are….help those that need it and make it so that these animals don't kill anyone else…like my brother?" asked Vanquish.

Brian looked at the man in front of him and then down at the unconscious Jokers.

"How?" asked Brian.

"Join us…Join the Knightbreed"

* * *

**Present **

"I didn't say yes immediately, first I talked it over with Evan who instantly wanted to be part of them, but me…. I thought about it…. long and hard and as I was thinking I thought back to how I saved that Knightbreed guy, how I dealt with those Jokerz and Mom….it felt so right, it felt good. It made me feel better than I had ever felt before in my life and like that I was addicted. I-I-I needed to do it again…I needed to stop more of them….all of them, but above all else I needed to bring Terminal to Justice and I knew that if I joined the Knightbreed then there would be a chance that I would run into him….so I said yes." He said looking down at his lifeless mother. He soon fell silent finally finishing his story, a story that he was going to tell his mother one day but because of her death she would never get a chance to hear it from him. Brian suddenly shifted in his spot and he gently laid his mother down on the ground.

"I'm sorry I caused all of this I really am and I swear I'm going to make this right….I swear on my life I will get Courtney back and I will…kill Terminal and those responsible for your death" he said balling up his fist.

Brian stood up and he reached into his pocket and he pulled out his phone and he pressed send and he waited.

**CLICK!** "Hello"

"Max…I need you to get over to my house as fast as you can" said Brian.

"It's like 6:00am"

"I know….I need you to get over here...please" he said.

"Fine….I'll be there in 20 minutes"

"I'll be waiting" he replied before ending the call.

* * *

**Across Town: Wayne Manor 6:45 am**

"Excuse Me, could you repeat that because I don't think I heard you right"

"You heard me Damian…..I want you to back down from taking on Powers…he's mine, I'll deal with him" said Bruce Wayne staring into the eyes of his son Damian Wayne.

After Bruce and Yinn finished their conversation Yinn went downstairs to alert Damian, Barbara, and Terry to his awakening. It didn't take them long to make their way upstairs and greet the elderly man but after the small greeting Bruce immediately slipped into business mode and he decided to address the topic that was going through his mine and that topic was none other than Derek Powers and his attempt to kill him.

"Bruce…." started Barbara before being interrupted by Damian

"Like Hell you'll deal with him" he snapped walking towards his father "I don't know if you've realized this Bruce but….you're kinda old and you've been out of the game for a while and I don't think you'll be able to handle Powers"

"I'm not old I'm in the prime of my life and I can handle Powers" Bruce replied

"Prime of your life" Terry, Barbara, and Damian said at the same time, they glanced at each other and then back at Bruce.

"I think what he means Damian is that I'll be handling Powers...right" came Terry's voice sitting at the foot of Bruce's bed.

"That's not what I mean at all McGinnis, I mean exactly what I said I'm going to handle Powers" Bruce replied with conviction, he scooted to the edge of his bed and tossed the cover off of himself.

"Mr. Wayne I think you should give the elixir more time to…."started Yinn before Bruce wave his hand.

"I'm fine Yinn, I've survived worse injuries" he said grabbing his cane to balance himself as he stood up.

"What are you going to do Bruce hit him with your cane?" asked Damian snidely, but Bruce didn't respond he simple began to walk towards the door.

"Bruce maybe not in the words that Damian used I'm inclined to agree you barely survived tonight" said Barbara.

"And let's not forget that I got a beef to settle with Powers and besides isn't that why I'm Batman because you're too old?" asked Terry.

Bruce came to a stop and he turned to look the four individuals in the room.

"McGinnis….I realize that Powers is the one responsible for your…..Father's death but you already have enough on your plate…your job is to find out what the Jokerz are up to and stop them and not only them but the Knightbreed as well and that's your job too Barbara, and Damian, I thought the whole reason you returned to Gotham was to track down Kobra"

"Yes that is the reason why I returned and Powers is our lead to them" Damian countered.

"Not your only lead though" Bruce said.

"Zander" Yinn stated

"I suggest you start by tracking him down instead of worrying about Powers" said Bruce turning.

"You won't be able to take on Powers because he isn't human anymore" said Damian. Bruce looked at him with curious eyes.

"Explain" he stated.

"A few hours ago Yinn and I went to Wayne-Powers and Power was having a meeting with Inque about killing you so I sent Yinn to protect you. I stayed to confront Powers but Zander showed up…he had been somehow mutated in humanoid rattlesnake. He attacked Powers, but Powers transformed"

"Transformed" Bruce repeated.

"That's what I said, he transformed into glowing Neon Green….. I did a preliminary scan and because of his new transformation he emits radiation levels that are off the charts…..he's practically pure radiation"

"The nerve gas" Terry chimed. Bruce, Damian, Barbara, and Yinn turned to him, "Bruce you remember….Powers was exposed to the gas and the only way to stop its effects is intense radiation…it must be a side effect"

"So Powers is a walking radiation bomb?" Barbara stated/asked.

"Maybe, I don't know all I know is he's out of your league Bruce, Yinn and I will take care of him, Inque and Kobra…."

"No Damian…this doesn't change anything, he's mine" Bruce interrupted turning around and heading towards the door again and leaving the room.

"…FINE GO AHEAD AND GET YOURSELF KILLED OLD MAN SEE IF I CARE!" shouted Damian at his father's retreating form, "Stubborn old fool" he continued under his breath.

"A humanoid rattlesnake" said Terry looking at Damian.

"That's what I said" he replied.

"Master Wayne your father does have a point…..if he were to take over for us investigating Powers that would leave us more time to locate Zander and Inque which would in turn speed up our departure from Neo-Gotham" said Yinn

"Inque is in the wind…she's had a head start so there no telling where she could be…..and Zander is underground. Besides if we were to capture Zander do you really think I would be able to make him talk? No. Our only leverage was Powers because he has something to lose….so screw Bruce."

"You're going to take down Powers anyway" said Barbara

"You're damn right I am Barbara. I'm not 10 years old anymore; the days of me taking orders from the great and mighty Bruce Wayne are dead and gone. I only take orders from me…this is my operation and I'm gonna do things my way you understand" he said forcefully at her.

Barbara looked at him and smirked slightly

"You might not be 10 anymore….but you still throw tantrums like you are" she said.

Damian scowled at her.

**RING! RING! RING!** Went the sound of Barbara's cell phone, she reached into her coat pocket and grabbed the phone.

"This is Commissioner Gordon" she answered, the smirk on Barbara's face quickly turned into one of shock and confusion, "What….alright...I'm on my way there now thank you lieutenant" she said hanging up her phone.

"Problem?" asked Terry.

"A Big one" she replied to him before looking at Damian and Yinn "Hey, I don't think this Zander guy is underground like you think" she said walking towards the door.

"He was spotted?" asked Damian with wide eyes.

"That was my lieutenant; one of my Detectives is in the hospital, her car got hit by a truck"

"What does that have to do with Zander?"

"The Truck driver said that he hit her car because she flew out into traffic and he remembers seeing a man that looked like a giant rattlesnake on the hood of her car" Barbara replied.

"What hospital?"

"Come On I'll give you a ride" said Barbara heading out of the room.

"Yinn, I want you to stay here…just in case Inque comes back" he said following after Barbara.

"Yes Master Wayne" Yinn replied.

Terry got up off of the bed and he made his way to the door as well.

"Where are you going?" asked Yinn

"I'm gonna go talk to the old man...see if I can convince him not to kill himself" Terry answered before leaving the room.

* * *

**Brian's House**

Max stepped out of the taxi and she eyed Brian's house, she turned and gave the driver some credits.

"Keep the change" she said.

The taxi driver nodded his head and then sped off down the street. Max took in a deep breath and she started up the path that would lead to the door, she reached the door and then she knocked but she only able to knock once before the door swished open and she was yanked inside.

* * *

**Inside **

"Ooomph" grunted Max as she was shoved against the closed door, she looked up to see angry tear stained eyes of her boyfriend Brian Milwood, "Brian" she started before she looked to the left and right and saw that his house was trashed and the words HAHA were scribbled everywhere.

"Oh my God…what"

"Max who did you tell" Brian demanded. Max turned her eyes back to her boyfriend and she looked at him with confusion.

"What….."

"WHO DID YOU TELL MAXINE!" he yelled at the top his lungs.

"I didn't tell anyone"

"LIAR!" he shouted again. He grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her over to the kitchen, he pushed her forward. Max stumbled slightly but she caught herself on the counter. She looked down as she could see Brian's dead mother and the pool of blood on the floor.

"OH MY…." She recoiled looking at her.

"YOU SEE THAT! JOKERZ FOUND OUT I WAS PART OF THE KNIGHTBREED AND THEY MURDERED MY MOTHER! AND THEN THEY KIDAPPED MY SISTER!"

Max turned to him and looked at him.

"A-A-And you think I had something to do with THIS!" she shouted.

Brain snarled and leaned forward and grabbed her.

"There is no one else Maxine and this is too coincidental to be a coincidence. You find out my secret and then next thing I know my family is DEAD!'

"Maybe the Jokerz followed you or…or you little knightbreed friends sold you out…did you ever think about that"

"I did Maxine and it doesn't add up, if the Jokerz were following me I would have spotted them because I always cover my tracks before I come home and secondly the Knightbreed would never higher Jokerz to kill my family….they would do it themselves so that only leaves You….Now Maxine I'm gonna ask you again…Who. Did. You. Tell."

Max was about to respond but she remember back to yesterday when she was talking to Dana and Terry, Brain caught the look in her eyes and that was all he needed.

"WHO!" he shouted shaking her slightly.

"….."

"WHO!"

"My friends Dana and Terry...b-but they aren't with the Jokerz though"

"GODDAMN IT MAX! HOW DO YOU KNOW!"

"I DO! I TRUST THEM WITH MY LIFE….they wouldn't have said anything to anyone"

"OBVIOUSLY! SINCE MY MOTHER IS ALIVE RIGHT!" he shouted back at her. Brain flared his nostrils and then began searching through Max's jacket pockets and then her pants pocket until he found what he was searching for…her phone. He took her phone and then he turned around and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, tears starting down her face.

"I'm going to find my sister" he stated darkly looking at her with eyes filled with hate before he ventured out and into the morning sun.

"BRIAN WAIT!" she shouted but her cries went unheard.

Max sunk down to the floor and then hugged her knees to her chest, she glanced at Brian's mother and then she averted her eyes. When she looked away she saw something shiny catch her eyes. She crawled away from the dead body and towards the shiny object which turned out to be the DVD that had the words: Play Me written across it in blood. Max whipped her eyes and she looked at the disc. She pocketed the disc in her jacket pocket; she looked around the trashed living room again until her eyes landed upon the phone that was off the hook. Max crawled over to the phone and she dial three numbers.

"911 emergency response"

"Yes I'd like to report a murder"

* * *

**Wayne Manor- Batcave**

Terry descended the winding stone stairs and he eyed the bat-computer where his employer and mentor Bruce Wayne sat vigorously typing into the machine. He walked up towards the computer and he leaned against the console and he eyed the elder man curiously.

"So I take it you weren't joking upstairs"

"I never joker" Bruce replied not taking his eyes off the screen.

"What, so you're serious about this"

"…"

"Of course you are" Terry replied looking away and shaking his head "Did your near death experience suddenly make you want to live again?" he asked folding his arms across his chest.

"Something like that….more like it reminded me of who I am."

"And who are you?" asked Terry.

Bruce turned and looked him in the eyes for a second and then turned away.

"Sorry to break it to you but that's who I am now, so Power is mine…he's the one that gave my Dad a death sentence so it should be me to take him down and if what Damian said is true you wouldn't stand a chance"

Bruce let out a sigh but he didn't stop his typing, he kept his eyes trained on the screen in front of him.

"McGinnis I'm not under any illusions to my age or my physical status, I need you to put aside your vendetta with Powers. You have my word that he will be brought to justice but I'm going to be the one to do it, you have a job to do with the Jokerz and the Knightbreed both factions must be stopped before they rip Gotham apart. As you and Damian put it I'm too _'old'_ to handle them but Powers is a different story." Bruce said

Terry heaved a huge sigh he wanted to argue with Bruce but he could see there was no point his mind was made up and Terry knew there was no way he was going to change it, but from the way Bruce was speaking and the determination evident in his voice Terry knew that despite his age he just might be able to take Powers down.

"….Fine" he said after a long minute "I'll deal with the Jokerz and the Knigthbreed but to tell you the truth where do I even start….."

**BUZZZZ BUZZZZ**

Terry reached into his pants pocket and grabbed his phone and looked at it, he saw that he had a text message from Max. He opened his phone and he read the text.

_**Emergency I need to meet with you right now Neo-Gotham Park next to the Fountains. **_

Terry quickly closed his phone and put it back in his pocket.

"I'll see you later Bruce I gotta go see a friend"

"Problem?" he asked.

"Maybe" Terry replied over his shoulder while making his way up the stairs leaving Bruce all alone in the cave.

* * *

**Neo-Gotham General Hospital 7:25 am**

Detective Montoya Bullock slowly opened her eyes; a groan of discomfort escaped her lips as she fully awoke from her previous unconscious state.

"Ugh….where am I" she asked looking around.

"The hospital sweetheart" came a voice.

Montoya turned to the left to see her mother Summer Gleeson-Bullock sitting in the chair next to her bed. Summer Gleeson was once a well known reporter in the old Gotham City; she used to be one of the go to reporters to cover the most important and thought provoking stories of the decade, she covered everything from the mysterious Batman to the crazy and zany villains he faced, to the corruption that plagued the Old Gotham and for her stories she received numerous awards and accolades. She stood at 5'8 with, blue eyes, medium length silver-gray hair that used to be light strawberry red, her skin was wrinkly which was understandably considering the fact that she was in her late 70s to early 80s. Summer was wearing a blue sweater, loose blue jeans and black shoes. Her eyes roamed over the bumps, bruises and bandages that adorned her only daughter's face and body.

'_She's just like her father, no regards for safety'_ Summer thought to herself.

In the past when attempting to get the scoop on a story she would often find herself needing some inside information, information that only the detective working the case would know. She remembered one particular homicide of a city official, she had found some clues on what seemed to be foul play in the murder but in order to confirm her hunch she needed the help of the lead Detective and thus was her first introduction to her future husband Harvey Bullock. At first Summer couldn't stand him because he was arrogant, insensitive, and just a down right jerk, but the more stories that appeared in Gotham the more she found herself seeking him out for information and sometimes he would comply but other times he wouldn't. The more time she spent with him the more his charm began to work on her and the two found themselves starting a relationship. The relationship lasted for a while but eventually they broke up but they retained a semi-friendship and that friendship lasted for years until the death of his ex-partner Renee Montoya. Her death caught everyone by surprise especially since it was discovered that she was the vigilante known as the Question. Summer knew of the kinship that Renee and Harvey shared so when she died he took it the hardest, he took it so hard that it sent him on a downward spiral of destruction. Summer ran into him at a bar one night and the two began to talk, she had a special place for him in her heart so seeing him as he was made her want to cheer him up. In the weeks that were to come the two would begin to slowly building up their romantic relationship and it wasn't long until they were married. A few months into their Marriage Summer discovered that she was pregnant and she gave birth to a baby girl….Montoya Renee Bullock, named in honor of Harvey's deceased Partner.

"Mom" Montoya groaned putting a hand to her head "What are you doing here?"

"You have me down as your emergency contact sweetie, but I thought Eddie…." Summer started before being interrupted.

"Mom, Eddie and I broke up months ago….ugh my head is killing me"

"Well being in a car accident will do that to you, I swear you are just…."

"Just like your father…yeah you said that the last time I was in the hospital" Montoya replied

"Renee I really wish that you would've went to law school….maybe then on the times that I do get to see you it wouldn't be laid up in a hospital bed, last time it was because you got stabbed and the time before that you got shot…"

"Mom. I was just in a car accident and I just woke up, the last thing I wanna do right now is discuss my choice of profession alright"

Summer let out a sigh as she caught the look on her daughters face; they had been going back and forth about her being a cop for years. While Harvey was glad that she decided to follow in his footsteps, Summer however, wasn't too thrilled.

Montoya shifted slightly in her bed and sat up.

**KNOCK! KNOCK! **

The door opened and in walked Commissioner Barbara Gordon.

"Detective"

"Commissioner?" said Montoya in slight confusion.

"Barbara"

"Hello Summer, I see the years have been treating you well" she said walking towards the foot of the bed.

"Not as well as they've been treating you" Summer replied standing up from the chair.

"Commissioner what are you doing here?" Montoya asked.

"I got a call about how you were in a car accident and I wanted to see if you were okay"

"A few bumps and a few bruises but otherwise I'm fine" she replied

"That's good I'm glad to hear it" Barbara replied with a smile.

A small silence passed between the three women each looking at the other waiting for someone to say something.

"Was there anything else Barbara?" asked Summer looking at her.

"Well yes, but I can't really…."

"Say no more" Summer interrupted "You have to speak about a case but you don't want me to hear"

"I see you haven't forgotten the drill" Barbara replied with a smirk.

"I'm going to go do to the food court and get you something to eat okay Renee" she said leaning down and kissing her daughter on the head.

"Mom what have I told you I'm too old for you to be kissing me on the head"

"No your not" Summer replied heading for the door and then leaving the two women alone in the room.

"God, I thought she would never leave" came a voice.

Montoya turned to the left to see an imposing figure in a grey cloak standing a few feet away from her bed and next to the window that was somehow open.

"AHH!"

"Relax Montoya….Relax he's a friend" said Barbara.

"Where the hell did you come from?" she demanded looking at him.

"Long story" he said in an uninterested voice.

"Montoya just calm down, he's alright, he's here to ask you some questions" said Barbara trying to calm her Detective down.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend….you can call me the Gray Ghost and I hear you had a run in with a human sized rattlesnake" he stated walking closer to Montoya's bed. She tried to peer through the blackness of his hood to see his face but she couldn't see anything.

"And what if I did, its a police problem, not the problem of what I assume to be some sort of vigilante" she replied to him and then looked at Commissioner Gordon "I'm guessing since he's the one you got the flash drive from Commissioner" she reasoned.

"And since you're in the hospital I take it that you found something of note on the drive and went to investigate when I gave you orders to just compile a list"

"Well Commissioner you know me" Montoya replied with a smirk.

"Which is why I gave you the assignment but I should've known better"

"Detective Bullock can you tell me what you found, I must know if I'm going to catch Zander" said Gray Ghost.

"You know that…thing or whatever it was that attacked me?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"…..Yes, his name is Zander he's a high ranking General in a terrorist organization known as Kobra, he was here in Neo-Gotham buying a weaponized nerve gas, luckily the exchange didn't happen but he's still here in Gotham probably holed up in a Kobra base which what was on the flash drive"

"Facilities that would fit their needs" Montoya finished shaking her head, "I see, well if would've known that I would've called for back up" she said under breath.

"That's standard procedure anyway Detective" Said Barbara folding her arms.

Montoya smirked at her comment and then she looked at The Gray Ghost.

"Alright, I was only able to print out two places and I was going to look at the others today. I went to a place called Mr. Gregg's antique shop…I went in and towards the back of the shop there was a door that led to some type of lab or something and that's when I….ran into that thing"

The Gray Ghost nodded his head and he turned and head for the window

"I'll check it out….and I'll be back for the rest of that list you were compiling" he said over his shoulder "Good work Detective…..also…I knew your father….Harvey Bullock"

"You did?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes….he was…..an interesting person to say the least but above all he was a good cop, I can see where you get your skills from" he said before jumping out of the window leaving the two women alone in the room. Detective Bullock smiled a little at his comment and then turned to Barbara.

"Where did you meet him?"

"A long story…I trust that you'll keep this little exchange between us"

"Of course Commissioner…only if you let me in on this" said Montoya

"This is a bit above your pay grade Montoya…and the situation is in capable hands, you've don your part now get some rest, I need you well if we're gonna handle this Jokerz situation" said Barbara before turning and heading out of the room leaving Montoya by herself. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at the door.

"Above my pay grade...pfft" she scoffed but then she glanced down at her hands and arms and saw the cuts and then she thought back to when Zander first showed himself, '_Okay maybe this is slightly out of my pay grade but….it's never been about the pay for me it's about doing what's right and if these terrorist guys are in the city and that guy is going up against them and that snake monster he's gonna need some help_' she thought to herself. Montoya started to unhook herself from the IV and all the other equipment and she threw the covers off of her body. She swung her legs over the edge and stood up groaning a little because of her injuries but she ignored it. Montoya sucked in a breath and then walked over to her clothes that were neatly folded on a rack in the room. She grabbed her gown and took it off and began to get dressed.

* * *

**Neo-Gotham Park 8:30 am**

Terry McGinnis walked through the park and towards the fountains, which towards the center of the park. Terry walked along the path and he search around the beautiful fountains for any sign of his best friend Max but he didn't see any sign of her, actually he didn't see anyone around.

'_Where is….'_ He started before he felt someone grab him and place a knife to his throat.

"Don't move a muscle" came a voice.

Terry switched into Batman mode and he assessed the situation he was currently in_, 'a hand on my left shoulder, knife on throat with left hand….standing close…..but not close enough'_ he thought. Quicker than his attacker could react Terry jerked his head back and head butted him in the nose, he then hit the wrist of his attacker making him drop the knife. Terry grabbed the arm and attempted to flip his attacker to the ground but his attacker countered by lifting up his knee stopping him from going forward, he brought up his free hand and chopped Terry in the neck making him let go of his arm. Terry gritted his teeth and swung his right elbow around and hit his attacker in the jaw and then he rolled away and turned around and put up his hands and faced his attacker Brian Milwood.

"RAH!" shouted Terry charging forward. Brain rubbed his jaw and he turned to the charging Terry, he side stepped the punch and he responded with his own, Terry blocked the strike and brought his leg up to kick Brian in the face but Brian ducked and dropped down and swept Terry's foot.

"Oomph" grunted Terry as he hit the ground, he rolled onto his back in time to block the axe kick to his stomach, Terry hooked his feet around Brian's outstretched leg and he jerked to the right.

"AH!" shouted Brian as he felt his knee pop as Terry twisted and brought him down the ground on his stomach. Terry rose up with Brian's ankle in his grasp and he twisted as hard as he could, trying to get him to submit.

"ARGH!" growled Brian in agony as Terry twisted. He lifted his head and saw his knife laying a few inches away. He reached out for the blade and he picked it up.

Terry turned to see him pick it up, he released his ankle and then rolled forward just as Brian swung the knife in his direction. Terry stood up and he held up his fist, while Brian fought to his feet, he was favoring his left ankle slightly because his right was in agony but he wouldn't show it to his enemy. The two combatants stood there breathing heavily and staring each other down.

"What have you done to Max" Terry demanded.

"Where is my sister" Brian demanded back.

"WHAT!" shouted Terry in confusion looking at the person in front of him.

"Don't play dumb with me you son of a BITCH!" shouted Brian hopping at Terry with the knife aimed high. Terry leaned back and brought his foot up for a kick but Brian blocked it. He came down and tried to slash Terry with the knife again but Terry was too quick, he caught the offending hand and he chopped the wrist making Brian drop the knife. Brian kneed Terry in the side and shoved him away.

"You're friends kidnapped my sister" he stated with an edge in his voice.

"Listen to me…. I don't even know who you are let alone kidnapped your sister"

"LIAR!" shouted Brian grabbed Terry by his shirt and bringing him in for a hard head butt to his face. Brian held Terry tightly and brought him in for a hard knee to the stomach. Terry while hunched over gritted his teeth and wrapped his arms around Brian's waist and lifted him up and then slammed him into the ground. Terry rose up and lifted his fist for a punch, Brian wrapped his legs around Terry's waist and as the punch came he deflected it. Brian jabbed Terry in the ribs, Terry tried to raise his hand again but Brian quickly lifted his legs and wrapped them around Terry's neck and arm completing a choke hold. Terry struggled but the more he struggled the tighter Brian squeezed his legs cutting off his air supply.

'_C-C-an't…B-reathe'_ he thought to himself. Terry teetered and the fell to the side all the while Brian still holding on. Terry struggling wiggled his head until Brian's leg was next to his mouth; he opened his mouth and bit him as hard as he could.

"AHHHHH!" shouted Brian letting him go.

'_Not my proudest move…..but it got the job done'_ thought Terry scrambling away and to his feet.

Brian growled and stood up as well.

"Tell me where Terminal is"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"MAX TOLD ME EVERYTHING! She found out my secret and she told me that she told you and another friend of hers that I was with the Knightbreed, and as soon as she tells the two of you my mother is killed and my sister is kidnapped by Jokerz…coincidence…not likely"

Terry eyes widen at what Brian just said about his mother and his sister.

"I'm….sorr…"

"SAVE IT!"

"Listen to me you're not thinking clearly…..I'm not with the Jokerz I promise you…I know what it seems like but I can assure that it isn't that way"

"Jokerz don't lie right….."

"If I was with the Jokerz wouldn't I be wearing face paint….or making lame jokes right about now or some other crap like that" said Terry quickly

"….." Brian didn't reply.

Terry could see the determined look in Brian's eyes waiver slightly and he knew that fighting him wasn't going to get them anywhere so taking a chance he lowered his hands.

"I'm not going to fight you anymore" he said looking Brian in the eyes, "I know what you're feeling Brian…..my Dad was murdered and I was so blinded by revenge that I acted irrationally and I almost got killed. I'm asking you to take a moment and think this through before you do something you'll regret….maybe you made a mistake somewhere one of the Jokerz followed you home or….."

"Never….I would have spotted a tail" he replied.

"Well Maybe some other way"

Brian listened to Terry, he looked into his eyes and he studied his body language. During his time training with the Knightbreed they taught him quite a few things about reading a person's body language, and from the way Terry was speaking, standing and his overall aura he could tell that he wasn't with the Jokerz. Brian continued to look him over and his resolve lessened and he put his hands down.

'_Maybe I did make a mistake…maybe I wasn't careful one night….no that's not it. I'm always careful….. this guy though isn't part of them'_ he thought to himself, "I believe you" Brian said quietly.

"Good"

"What about Dana how well do you know her….."

"Trust me she's not with them either"

Brian heaved a sigh and he looked away from Terry, he slowly began to back up.

"Wait where are you going I can help you" said Terry

"No you can't, no one can help me. This is a problem I have to handle on my own, I'm sorry I attacked you and I didn't do anything to Max, I would never do anything to hurt her" he replied before turning and running away.

"WAIT!" shouted Terry taking off after him.

Terry was running at break neck speed after Brian, who was dashing away.

* * *

'_Jesus he's fast'_ thought Terry trying to catch up , silently wishing he had his batsuit. Terry saw Brian make a sharp turn to the right, up ahead he could see a motorcycle that was parked not too far away and he figured that's where he was going. He tried to double his speed but it was useless. Brian reached his motorcycle and then jumped on and zoomed away from the park.

"Dammit" whispered Terry breathing heavily.

**BUZZZZ BUZZZZZZ** Terry reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Yeah" he asked still out of Breath

"TERRY! Thank GOD!" said Max

"Calm down Max Calm Down"

"CALM DOWN LISTEN TO ME YOU NEED TO…"

"I know, I just ran into him….."

"Are you okay"

"Where are you now?"

"I'm at my house with Dana"

"I'll be there shortly" he replied before hanging up the phone.

* * *

**Wayne-Powers**

Derek Powers sat at his staring intently at the man across from him and that man was his Lawyer: Donald Groover. Donald was older than Derek but only by a few years, he had graying brown hair, blue eyes, a light complexion, and an average body build that was covered by an expensive gray suit.

As soon as Derek got back to his office he called up Donald and told him to get to his office immediately and once Donald arrived he asked him about the seize order that was in effect. Donald pulled up the Wayne-Powers contract that signed by Derek and Bruce about years ago, he read over the document closely and then he delivered the bad news to Derek, to say he was upset would've been an understatement.

"I'm sorry Derek but it's Iron Clad" said Donald pushing the electronic tablet with the contract display over to Derek, "Section 18 paragraph 12: 'Bruce Wayne reserves the right to place an embargo on any and all facilities from using Wayne-Powers technology, equipment and tools until an agreement can be reached by both share owners i.e. Bruce Wayne and Derek Powers. Until such an agreement is established there shall be no overriding of this clause' Donald quoted.

"Rat Bastard" Derek whispered angrily standing up and going towards the window, he stared out into the Neo-Gotham city sky line and he heaved a sigh "Tell me something Donald….what does this contract say about….an unfortunate death" Derek asked glancing over his shoulder.

Donald caught the look in Derek's eyes and he knew exactly where he was going with his question.

"I didn't hear that" Donald replied glancing away.

"Donald we're just discussing a possible event….I mean Bruce is quite old he could…..expire at any moment. This is a what if scenario"

"Theoretically speaking…..If Bruce Wayne were to expire then that would make you the controlling member of Wayne-Powers and you could bypass the seize order, but as long as Bruce Wayne breathes you are stuck" Donald replied leaning back in his seat.

"A problem that will be rectified"

"I didn't hear that"

**RING! RING! **

Derek reached into his coat pocket and retrieved his phone and he looked at the number and sly smirk found it's way to his lips.

"Get out Donald I have to take this" said Derek.

Donald let out a sigh and then stood up, he grabbed his electronic pad and his brief case and he made his way out of the office.

Derek pressed the send button and he answered the call.

"Hello Inque"

"Powers" she replied

"I trust the assignment went as planned"

"There was…another complication"

"….Excuse Me" said Derek narrowing his eyes.

"I was seconds away from killing Wayne when….."

"He's…not….dead" asked Derek in a deliberately slow voice.

"No"

Derek's gritted his teeth while slamming his hand down on his desk.

"GODDAMN IT INQUE YOU WORTHLESS BITCH! A SIMPLE TASK, SIMPLE AND YOU CAN'T EVEN…."

* * *

**Inque's Hideout**

"WATCH WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO POWERS! YOU STILL THINK I'M ONE OF YOUR REGULAR LITTLE PUPPETS THAT YOU HAVE UNDER YOUR BOOT AND YOU CAN TALK TO ME ANY WAY YOU WANT BUT I'M NOT SO YOU WILL SHOW ME SOME GODDAMN RESPECT!"

"I'll give respect when I see results Inque"

Inque stood up from her bed and she whipped her and sliced her dresser in half making it crash to the floor.

**CRASH!**

"I SAID I WOULD KILL HIM AND I WILL YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

* * *

**Wayne Powers**

Derek balled up his fist tightly because of the frustration he was feeling at the fact that Bruce Wayne still lives and the fact that Inque is speaking to him in such a way. He was so angry that he began to hear the familiar popping sound, his eyes traveled to his fist which had some green radiation showing slightly. Realizing that he needed to calm down Derek took a deep breath and he released a sigh, he was about to respond to what Inque said but then he was struck with a thought. He held up his fist and he looked at his neon green skin that was showing, his mind then began to replay the events of night before, his powers and how he used them against Zander and the Gray Ghost. A devious smile began to form along his mouth and as a result his skin shined a little bit brighter.

'_If you want something done right, do it yourself'_ he thought to himself making a fist.

"Inque…..you're right, you're not one of my usual employees, you are in every since of the word different so I must treat you so….I apologize for not treating you with the respect that you deserve"

"….."

"I understand that you are trying your best and you shall be rewarded, how about another 2 million credits"

"What"

"You heard me"

"Well that is mighty generous of you Powers"

"It is"

"Considering I failed to kill Wayne a second time one has to ask what brought this…..abrupt change"

"I have a plan…a plan on how to kill Wayne that won't involve anymore complication" he replied with a smile his eyes never leaving his neon green hand.

"Oh"

"Yes and I want you follow it down to the letter"

"I'm all ears then" she replied.

"Good" said Derek his devious smile only growing larger

* * *

**Mr. Gregg's Antique shop**

Damian Wayne aka The Gray Ghost stealthy entered the abandoned antique shop. A hand immediately went to his nose to block out the smell of death that accompanied the interior of the store.

"I should be used to that smell by now" he said quietly as he swiftly made his way to the back, recalling the information that Detective Bullock gave him.

He reached the back and he saw the dead body on the ground and the door that was open. The Gray Ghost reached into one of his pouches on his utility belt and he pulled out a flashlight. He briefly shined the light on the body and then he ventured inside and into the lab.

"Hmph…definitely Kobra" he said to himself.

* * *

**Max's House**

Terry walked up to the door and he rung the bell, the door opened and Dana came out and hugged him tightly.

"Dana"

"Oh my God Terry Max just explained everything I'm so glad he didn't hurt you"

'_I wouldn't say that'_ Terry thought to himself but he didn't want to stress her out even more despite the fact that he was enjoying her embrace.

"Yeah me to Dana" he replied "Where's Max"

"In her room"

Terry nodded his head and they both entered the house and went to Max's room.

* * *

**Max's Room**

"Max"

Max turned away from her computer and she looked at Terry with tear stained eyes.

"Please tell you're not with these animals" she asked in a low voice.

"Max….you know me and I'm insulted that you would even ask" Terry responded looking at her.

Max hung her head low and she shook her head.

"I know I'm sorry but…..just look" she said scooting away from the computer. Terry stepped forward and he looked at the blank screen, Max hit the space bar and the disc began to play.

"Jesus" whispered Terry once the disc finished playing. He gritted his teeth and he balled up a fist.

"Oh My God" said Dana turning and looking away.

"I know…that's why I had to ask. This is a nightmare"

"That is an understatement Max" Terry replied looking away himself and running his hands through his hair _'Damn them…I've got to stop them and I have to do it now, but first I gotta help Brian get his sister back'_ thought Terry to himself.

"How did they find out?" asked Dana

"I don't know, he swears that he's careful in not getting followed back to his house, which is why he thought you guys had something to do with this" Max replied

"What about the Knightbreed they must've sold him out" said Dana

"He says…."

While Max and Dana were going over different scenarios, Terry was also mulling over the subject as to how the Jokerz found out about Brian's identity, but as the gears in his mind began to turn an incident played in his mind and like a lightening bolt he was hit with a realization.

'_Carter'_ thought Terry widening his eyes, "_He was tailing us yesterday, trying to follow Dana….he must've overheard'_ Terry rationalized. He glanced at Max and Dana who were still talking and then he proceeded to make his way out of her room.

"McGinnis where are you going?" asked Max standing up.

"To get some answers" he replied cryptically over his shoulder "You two stay here and try to stay calm"

"Stay CALM!" she shouted, but Terry didn't hear her, he walked out of her room and then out of her house.

* * *

**Wayne Manor-Bat-Cave**

**KCHSS! ZIP! ZIP! KCHSS!** Went the welding sounds throughout the Bat-Cave. Bruce was standing in front of a workstation with an assortment of tools and equipment in front of him.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! **

Bruce stopped working when he heard the sound of the beeping from the Bat-Computer. He lifted the goggles over his eyes and he quickly made his way to the computer and he pressed a button.

"Go ahead McGinnis"

"I need you to look up an address"

"For what"

"I'll fill you in later but right now I'm on a time table"

Bruce released a sigh and he sat down in his chair.

"What's the name?" he asked

"Carter Wilson"

* * *

**Eastside of Gotham: 10:00 am**

Brian sat on his motorcycle staring intently at the rundown restaurant across the street. The building itself was fairly big and it was popular at one point but since the Jokerz practically ran this side of town the owner had to close his business in fear of his life, and once he left the Jokerz took it over and turned it into the raggedy looking place it was now.

Brian watched as two Jokerz laughed and then walked into the old restaurant. He gritted his teeth and prepared himself for what he was about to do and once he steeled his mind and body he got off of his bike.

* * *

**Inside the Restaurant**

The Jokerz had turned the interior of the restaurant into a lair, there were about a dozen Jokerz girls and guys all lounging around their make shift den area. They had a stolen big screen TV on the far side of the room, along with a large stereo system that had loud music playing. There weren't any beds but they were bean bag chairs all around, on the walls were the words: **HA HA** scribbled in red and green paint, and they also had a bar area where most of them were gathered around drinking heavily. The Jokerz all held up their beer cans and knocked them together in celebration but before their lips could touch the can they were interrupted by the door being kicked open.

**BAM! **

The door swung open so hard that it hit the wall and the glass shattered. The shocked Jokerz turned to the door to see the silhouette of person standing in the doorway.

"Who the fuck are you?" demanded one of the Jokerz.

"The End" came his voice as he stepped further into the den.

The Jokerz laughed at his statement and they began to pull out some weapons which included: brass knuckles, bats, lead pipes, knives and a rubber chicken with spikes all over it.

"The End huh…you got that right asshole"

"Where is your leader Terminal"

"HAHAHAHAHA" the Jokerz laughed "You wanna know where Terminal is….have you tried at your mother's house; he's probably giving her a plow right now, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Brian's eye twitched as he growled to himself and balled up his fist in anger.

The Jokerz with their weapons in hand began to slowly walk away from the bar and towards the calm intruder.

Brian eyed each of them and he shifted his feet and raised his hands, the Jokerz smirked at him and then charged at him. He dash forward and then flipped over them, he landed behind them and he turned and grabbed a girl by the back of her hair. He jerked her neck back and delivered a vicious elbow to the bridge of her nose shattering it upon impact. Brian quickly grabbed her bat and then tossed her to the ground. The rest of the Jokerz turned to see one of their own go rolling across the ground. Brian with the bat in his hand swung it as hard as he could at a nearby Joker and smack him in the head.

**POP!** Went the sound of the bat hitting his head, he went down instantly.

'_2 down….10 to go'_ thought Brian gripping the bat harder.

"GET EM!"

The Jokerz charged again.

Brian deflected a strike from the Joker with the lead pipe, he turned struck him with the butt of the bat in his mouth knocking him away, Brian sunk to a knee avoiding an overhead strike from the spiked chicken, he came up with head of the bat and hit the Joker in the chin sending blood and teeth flying out of his attacker's mouth. Brian looked around but at that moment he was struck in the face by one of the Jokerz wearing the brass knuckles. He rolled with the momentum of the punch and he looked at the offender, felt his lips split open but he didn't care, he blocked out the pain and gripped his weapon tighter.

'_8 to go' _he thought looking back and forth between the remaining Jokerz.

"RAHHH!" they yelled. Brian Swung his back but at the last second the Joker he was trying to hit jumped back avoiding the blow. The Joker then jumped trying to hit him with the brass knuckles again but Brian recovered and brought his bat up and used it to toss the airborne Joker to the side. As he dealt with that Joker another one came up to his side and stabbed him in the shoulder with her knife.

"ARGH!" he grunted in pain feeling her twist the knife slightly. He swung his head and head butted her in the face stunning her enough for him swing his bat and hit her in the stomach and then in the face knocking her to the ground.

Brian was tackled to the ground by two more Jokerz and upon hitting the ground he dropped his bat. The two Jokerz were trying to secure him in place but his struggling was making it very difficult. Brian was struggling with all of his might trying to get them off of him.

'_FIND A WAY! FIND A WAY!'_ he thought frantically to himself. One of the Jokerz on top of him rose up slightly to punch him in the face, Brian reached down deep and forced himself to rise up as well he grabbed the Joker by the head and jammed his thumbs into his eyes.

"AH!" yelled the Joker in agony. Brian then slammed the Jokerz head into the other Joker that was top of him which stunned him. Brian tossed the eyeless Joker to the side and then lunged on top of the stunned Joker. He raised his fist and brought it down on his throat crushing the down Jokerz windpipe crushing it. He then rolled forward and sprung up in time to block a strike from the brass knuckle wearing Joker, he kneed him in the groin and rammed him into an approaching Joker. Brian ripped the knife out of his shoulder wincing slightly. He flipped the knife and then threw it nailing a Joker in the chest and sending him down to the ground. Brian looked to the left and saw two more Jokerz heading his way, he waited and as they neared he spun and threw out a devastating side kick to the solar plexus of the first joker knocking all the wind out of him, he then ducked a strike from the second Joker he grabbed her outstretched arm and then used her forward momentum to toss her across the room and into the large TV.

'_2 to go'_ he thought to himself eyeing the last two Jokerz, one had the bat that he had dropped earlier and the other had the brass knuckles. The two Jokerz looked at each other and then around at their fallen friends some of them writhing in pain and other just plan unmoving. Their eyes met each other again and they nodded their heads. They turned and ran away, Brian recoiled in shock slightly and he took off after them.

* * *

The Jokerz ran towards the back of the restaurant and to a metal door that would lead them to ally behind their make shift lair, the two Jokerz burst through the door but only one of them was able to escape. Brian caught up to the Joker with brass knuckles and he tackled him from behind making them both go crashing into some trash cans. Brian grabbed him by the back of his shirt and turned him over and proceeded to rain blow after blow onto his white paint covered face. The Joker tried to hit him but Brian was too strong and too focused. Brian was a man possessed every time he hit him, every time his fist made contact with the flesh of his face only served to spur him to keep going, but what spurred him on the most was the fact that the face he saw was that of Terminal's. Brian didn't know how long he hit the man beneath him but once he finally stopped he saw that the man was unmoving and his face pummeled beyond recognition. He was breathing heavily to himself, he looked down at his hands, his blood covered hands that were shaking uncontrollably. Staring at the blood and at the man on the ground he found himself conflicted. His heart was beginning to fill with guilt, seeing the beaten Joker and knowing what he did to his friends he knew he had crossed a line, a line that he had been trying to avoid until the right time but he had been consumed by anger an anger that was still burning brightly within him. Despite the feelings of guilt in his heart his mind justified his actions. These animals were all guilty….they all followed Terminal so that meant that they were guilty by association. In his mind they were all guilty of breaking into his house and killing his mother and kidnapping his sister and while he may not have gotten the information he wanted out of the Jokerz in the restaurant there were plenty more in the area and the day was still young. Someone knew where Terminal was and he was going to find out…by any means necessary.

Brian shook all feelings of guilt from his being and he stood up. He backed away from the unmoving Joker and turned towards the ally exit and while his injuries made him limp slightly he ignored them for the most part. Brian was fueled by rage, so he pushed forward refusing to look back.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review:  Hey Readers it's me Nomad88, back again with the closing comments. AHH! I know I know cliffhanger, initially I was gonna keep going but if I did that this chapter would be too long and so I figured you readers would need time to process everything that's going on, or will be going on in the future. You can kinda see events beginning to unfold as this chapter progressed, It's setting everything up. I hope everyone enjoyed Dagger's back-story and I know he wasn't really unleashed until the end there but like I said events are starting to unfold, part 2 is gonna be the climax and it should jump start the beginning of the end for this Volume and it should be Epic. I hope you all enjoyed it enough to return for the next chapter which I hope to get out as soon as I can. If anyone has any questions comments, concerns, or rants just leave it in the review or send me a PM message, this is Nomad88 saying later….**

**Ps: TSA: Amazing Spider-man is next up for update and then what I'm gonna try to do is get both Secret Warrior Spider-man and Batman Beyond out at the same time, so wish me luck. Also if you haven't seen Chronicle go see it right now great movie…straight to my favorites….anyway this is me saying Later….**

**Next up: Dagger Unleashed part 2 **


	22. Dagger Unleashed part 2

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS, I repeat I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS. All credit should go to the ones that do own them and that is DC! DC OWNS everything so knowing that Please find it in your heart NOT TO SUE ME! Again please DO NOT SUE ME! I have no money, none whatsoever…..really I don't. Okay, not that we have that out of the way on with the story…**

**Hello readers it's me Nomad88 back with another chapter in the Batman Beyond Mythos. The Chapters are ticking away my loyal readers; they are ticking but knowing that you should know that the epic level can do nothing but….RISE! You readers know how last chapter ended so lets dive right into part 2….Read, REVIEW (A writer's Fuel) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Dagger Unleashed part 2**

**Across Town Neo-Gotham Chemical Plant- 10:45 am**

Dr. Phillip Draben, a man in his late 30s with brown hair and eyes, an even complexion and a plump body build grumbled to himself as he stepped out of his modest hover car and eyed the facility in front of him. He raised his hand blocking out the sun and made his way towards the facility. Phillip was a brilliant chemist and he used to work at the chemical plant towards the edge of town but since it was blown up by the jokerz it had been closed for repairs and that meant that all of the scientist working at that facility had to be transferred to the facility closer towards the heart of Neo-Gotham which was the source of Dr. Draben's frustration…the commute. He had to get up and hour early and quickly get his kids to school and then come all the way across town to the plant and it didn't make matters any easier when there were traffic jams like the one he just finished fighting through. Phillip looked at his watch and he let out a sigh as he saw the time.

"I'm late" he stated out loud. He shook his head and he quickly made his way inside.

* * *

**Inside **

Phillip looked at the front security desk and he scrunched his eyes in confusion, usually whenever he showed up for work he would greet Ryan the security guard. They would also share a few pleasantries before he went to the lab but curiously Ryan wasn't at his station.

'_Must be making rounds'_ Phillip thought to himself making his way past the desk and towards a set of stairs that would take him up towards the lab.

He reached the top and he made his way to a set of double doors.

* * *

**Lab**

"I know I know I'm late but I have a good…..excuse…." started Phillip. His eyes widen in shock as he saw. All of his colleagues where standing in the lab with their hands up but the real draw to this strange situation was the jokerz that had the lab surrounded, he watched as they all turned their eyes towards him.

"Actually pops you're right on time" came Ghoul's voice as he placed a knife on his throat.

"What's going on?" Phillip asked fear in his voice.

"New Management…..bring him over here Ghoul"

Ghoul grabbed Phillip by the back of his lab coat jacket and he directed him over to the right, he led him over to a window where a Joker that resembles a Zombie stood staring out of the window. Terminal turned his gaze away from the outside and to fear eyes of Dr. Phillip Draben.

"Who are you?"

"Terminal and you must be Dr. Draben…good I hear you're the top chemist around here"

"…."

"You don't have to say anything, I had a long talk with a few of your colleagues, and they told me you're the best when it came to chemicals and whatnot so this is what I need you to make for me" said Terminal shoving several folded pieces of paper into Phillips' chest, "I thought I could make it myself but realistically speaking I'm gonna need a little help"

Phillip opened the papers and he looked at what was on them and his eyes widen in horror.

"I-I-I can't make this for you…..this is poisonous and….."

"Oh you'll make it Doctor" Terminal stated pushing off of the window and stepping towards him "You'll make it or…..Bonk"

"Bonk" Phillip repeated.

**BANG! BANG!** Went the sound of two gun shots echoing throughout the lab, Phillip ducked slightly at the sound.

"AHHHHHHH!" a woman screamed.

Ghoul forcibly turned Phillip around to his colleagues and he saw one of them lying on the ground dead in a pool of blood.

"Jesus" he whispered.

"You'll make this compound for me or all your friends are going to die" said Terminal in Dr. Draben's ear. He looked down at his dead friend and then at the scared faces of the rest of his friends and he quickly nodded his head.

"Okay…..Okay I'll do it"

"You have 6 hours to make…."

"6 hours! The amount written on these pages is too much I can't make it in…."

"Phillip…..you have 6 hours….no more no less. Do you understand?" asked Terminal in a low voice.

Phillip sucked in a hug breath but he didn't respond because he knew Terminal wasn't listening so he nodded his head hoping to God that he found someway to make the batch of chemicals he wanted.

"Good now get to work" he stated before nodding his head at Ghoul.

Ghoul smirked and then shoved Dr. Draben forward.

"You heard him fatty get to work"

Terminal turned away and he head back to the window, looking out to see if anyone else was showing up but thankfully since this was a private facility there wasn't that many employees and personnel. Terminal turned his head and he looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall.

'Time to check in' he thought to himself. He reached into his pockets and he pulled out his cell phone and he dialed a few numbers and he waited.

* * *

**Jokerz Underground Hideout**

**RING! RING! CLICK! **

"What?" came the voice of Delia Dennis

"You got the girl?" asked Terminal

"Of course" Delia replied looking up at the tied up Courtney Milwood and Woof who was standing guard in front of her.

"Good keep an eye on her until I give the word"

"When are you gonna call him?" asked Delia

"Once we get the Joker gas to the half way point I'll make the call" Terminal replied before hanging up the phone.

Delia looked at the phone and she shook her head.

The Jokerz underground hideout was an old subway station that had been out of commission for years. The station itself was very old it had been apart of the old Gotham city before Neo-Gotham was built in its place. The tied up Courtney was leaning against a rusty subway car, Delia's sister Deidre Dennis was lounging on a cot that they had set up and Chucko was busy watching his handheld TV. Each were trying to pass the time until Terminal gave them the word so they could begin their plan to take over Neo-Gotham. So far Terminal has been a big vague on how they were going to accomplish such a thing but Delia wasn't too worried because one thing she knew about Terminal was that when he made a plan it usually came through, even though lately his plans had been getting foiled by Batman and some guy in a gray cloak. Despite the setbacks they had been having Terminal reassured her that this plan was his masterpiece and all it took for it to succeed was a bit of patience. Delia sucked in a breath and then let it out, she adjusted her position in her seat and like her sister and Chucko she began to wait.

* * *

**Gibson Household **

"Get Answers" Max repeated for what felt like the 100th time. She was standing in the middle of her room looking at the door Terry left through about 15 minutes ago. He had left her house with a cryptic message saying that he was going to get some answers to the situation at hand, which was trying to help Brian find his missing sister before he made a mistake he would live to regret.

"That's what he said" Dana replied from her spot on Max's bed, she was sitting on the edge with her arms folded across her chest. Both of the girls were very curious as to where Terry went to get his supposed answers from.

"Dana…..you don't think that Terry" started Max

"Don't even go there Max, he said he wasn't apart of this" Dana interrupted her quickly

"ARGH! You're right you're right he did but I wanna know where he's going I don't like being left in the dark like this especially if he's going to get answers" she stated turning to look at Dana.

"What can you do he's gone" said Dana looking at her best friend.

"Call him" She replied walking over to her desk.

"Call him" Dana repeated getting up from the bed.

Max sat down in her chair and flipped on her computer.

"Yeah Call him…right now" she replied as her computer booted up. Max placed her fingers on the keyboard and began to rapidly type. Dana scrunched up her eyes and then shrugged her shoulders. She pulled out her phone and dialed Terry's number.

**RING! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! **

"It's busy" Dana replied hanging up.

"That's alright I just needed you to call him" Max replied staring at the computer screen. Dana looked down at Max's fingers and they were moving extremely fast. She then looked up at the screen as a map of Neo-Gotham city was pulled up on the screen.

"What the hell are you doing Max?" asked Dana

"I'm hacking into Neo-Gotham's cell phone network" she answered casually

"What…isn't that illegal?"

"Very, it's actually a felony but don't worry I'm a professional hacker. I have sooooo many anti-trackers and re-routers hooked up to my computer that if the FBI were trying to find me that would find a 90yr old woman instead" she replied with a smile.

Dana shook her head and continued to look at the screen.

"Why are you hacking into the cell phone networks?"

"I'm trying to find out where Terry went, that's why I wanted you to call him. I'm tracking the call you placed to his phone and once your call hit his phone I can….effectively turn his cell phone….."

"Into a GPS" finished Dana as she saw the blinking orange dot on the computer screen, "So that's Terry"

"Yep…and it looks like he's at a residential area…hold on I'm going to pull up a better picture using the satellites" stated Max before her fingers rapidly moved across the keyboard.

An image of a house in a rundown looking neighborhood was pulled up.

"Why is he there….whose house is that?" asked Dana.

Max's fingers danced across the keyboard once again before a screen popped up that had detailed information about who the house belonged to.

"It says here that the house belongs to a Donald and Whitney Wilson"

"Donald and Whitney Wilson" Dana repeated

"Yeah and…..uh oh"

"What?"

"Donald Wilson died years ago…but he and his wife Whitney had a child….a son by the name of…

* * *

**Across Town**

"Carter Wilson…why so interested McGinnis?" asked Bruce over the phone.

"Let's just say I think I might've found a lead to the Jokerz" Terry replied, "I'll be in touch" he replied before hanging up the phone. He eyed the beat up house in front of him and look of disgust crossed his face for a second before he ventured up to the front door. He reached up to the bell and he pressed the button. He heard the bell ring and heard a shuffling sound from the inside so he knew someone was inside.

The door suddenly swished open and a haggard looking woman stood at the entrance.

"What" she growled slightly

"Hi, Does Carter Wilson live here"

"HA! That piece of shit hasn't lived here in years" she replied eyeing him "Who the fuck are you"

"….No one" Terry replied with a smile

"Well if you're no one get the hell off of my property" she snapped stepping back into the house with the door swishing shut after her.

'_Jeez'_ thought Terry shaking his head, '_With a mother like that who needs enemies'_

Terry backed away from the house and he looked to the right and saw the gate that led to the back of the house could be jumped. Glancing at the door and then at the gate he quickly made his way over and he hopped over the gate and quietly as he could proceeded to the back of the house.

* * *

'_Maybe I should've gotten the batsuit first'_ Terry thought to himself as he snuck along side of the house. He came to a stop in front of a cracked window, he peered through the dingy glass and he saw that the window led into an empty bathroom. He reached up and he pushed the rest of the window open and he quietly slipped into the house. Terry walked towards the bathroom door and he peeked outside, he saw Carter' s mother on the couch but luckily the couch was facing away from the bathroom so he made his way out of the bathroom and to the right and down the hall.

The house only had three rooms and one of the rooms was filled with nothing but junk, so he tried the last room down the hallway.

'_Bingo'_ he thought as he entered Carter's old room.

* * *

"Jesus" whispered Terry as he entered Carter's room and looked around. There was light creeping into the room from the window and it illuminated the countless magazines stapled to the wall and most of the people's faces had their eyes poked out and X's over their mouths. From the ceiling fan there was a stuffed animal hanging from a noose and had needles sticking out of it. There was a sheetless mattress on the floor that looked like it had dried blood on it and it was sliced along the center.

Terry walked around the room looking closely at every thing and the closer he looked at the stuff in Carter's room the more and more his hunch about him being involved with the Jokerz grew. Judging by what he saw from Carter's mother and his old room it was definitely obvious that he had some emotional and psychological problems….the perfect candidate for a Jokerz member.

'_Okay McGinnis what are you looking for…' _

* * *

**Max's House **

"Why would he be at Carter's house?" asked Dana folding her arms across her chest.

"Apparently it seems Carter has the answers he's looking for" Max replied glancing at Dana.

Dana let out a breath, she was unsure how to react to the information she just received. Carter Wilson the guy that had recently taken an interest in her and she was sort of starting to like was somehow involved in the kidnapping of a little girl, she didn't want to believe it but as she scoffed at the idea she was struck with a thought, the night before when Terry was offering to walk her home he had told her that it was Carter was following them.

'_Could he really be…no…could he. If he was following us maybe he heard…._' she thought to herself before a look of dread passed across her face. Max turned to Dana and she saw the look on her face.

"What is it?" asked Max

"I think I might know why Terry is there" she replied looking at Max

* * *

**Carter's House**

"God this place is a shit hole" commented Terry as he made sweep of Carter's filthy and dingy room. He walked over to a wooden desk that was in the room and it was filled with newspaper clipping, he scrunched his eyes up as he roamed over the clippings.

"Jokerz running rampant…..crazed teens destroy private property….NGCPD is helpless against Jokerz" he read off to himself. He moved some of the clippings out of the way and he saw a picture. A picture of Carter and a few other people scowling menacingly, but something caught his eye. In the picture were two familiar looking twins.

"Hold on…." Terry started before he heard a sound.

**CLICK!** He whipped around to see Carter's mother standing there with a gun.

"JEEZ!" he shouted ducking just as she let off a round.

**POW!**

"I TOLD YOU I'D KILL YOU IF YOU CAME BACK HERE!" Carter's Mother yelled at the top of her lungs.

**CLICK! POW!**

Terry jumped to the left just as she let off another round, he saw her attempt to cock the gun again and that's when he made his move, he dash forward and grabbed her hand just as another round was let off. Terry snatched the gun of her hand and the motion made her fall to the ground.

"YOU BASTARD! STRIKING A WOMAN!" she shouted.

"Jesus Christ" he said looking at her.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked looking at him.

Terry shook his head at her and back away, he quickly made his way towards the front door and he hastily left Carter's house.

* * *

"Crazy…..old Bat" Terry said under his breath as he the gun in the neighbor's trash can, he reached into his pocket and he pressed send.

**Click! **

"Go ahead McGinnis" came Bruce's voice.

"I'm emailing you a picture and I need you to look at it and confirm something" he said.

* * *

**Max's House**

"I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT THAT BASTARD!" Max shouted at the top of her lungs.

"We don't know for sure…."Started Dana

"BULLSHIT DANA!" Max interrupted her "Come on he must've been following you and you met up with me and he over heard us talking"

"Max don't you think that's a stretch…I mean this is all speculation"

"No Dana this isn't stretch it's just like Brian said this is too coincidental to be a coincidence. There was a piece of the puzzle missing and that Asshole Carter is that missing piece. Either he's trying to be with the Jokerz or he's in it already and he sold Brian out…..GOD DAMN IT!" she shouted anger evident in her voice.

Dana let out a sigh because she knew Max was right and as much as she didn't want to admit it Carter was probably the one behind Brian's turmoil.

"So what do we do….do we call Brian, Terry….the police"

"No…No police, and forget Terry he didn't want to include us on this helpful information so we don't need him….and Brian is not an option…No we're gonna handle this ourselves"

"How?" Dana asked.

"First…..you're gonna call him and arrange a…get together" said Max staring into Dana's eyes.

* * *

**Terry**

"Add some white paint to the faces of the twins and red lipstick and tell me who do they remind you of" said Terry over the phone as he walked down the street.

"Hold on" Bruce replied over the line. Terry had taken a photo of the picture and he emailed it to the bat-cave computer, where Bruce was analyzing the picture for him, following up on a hunch.

"The Dee Dee twins" came Bruce's voice in a serious tone.

"Exactly" said Terry releasing a sigh, because if Bruce saw it too that meant conformation that Carter was definitely involved with the Jokerz and it was he that sold out Brian's secret and set him on his path of vengeance, "Great so now all I have to do is find Carter"

"What's going on?" asked Bruce.

"The Jokerz kidnapped a little girl; the girl is the sister to my friend Max's boyfriend Brian Milwood who happens to be involved with the Knightbreed"

"Ransom?" asked Bruce

"Nothing yet"

"They are going to kill her regardless" Bruce stated

"I know which is why I have to find Carter now and make him tell me what he told the Jokerz"

"Hold on….did you see this?" asked Bruce.

"See what?" Terry asked stopping in his tracks on the sidewalk.

"The picture" he answered.

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

Bruce's fingers danced over the Bat computer keys, his keen eyes honing in on the people in the picture. Several boxes were around the faces of the other people in the picture namely Carter and the man standing next to him.

"What is it Bruce?" asked Terry.

"I'm running a facial recognition….and the person that's on the far left of the picture is Victor Tulieo….the former leader of the Jokerz…"

"WHAT!" Terry shouted.

"And that's not all…." Bruce replied. He pulled up the image of Carter and he began to manipulate the color, he continued until his eyes widen in shock and in sudden realization.

"What"

"Look at the one in the center"

"What you mean Carter….what about him"

"Look real closely….now imagine him with white face paint…with black paint around his lips and mouth…..almost like a zombie"

* * *

Terry scrunched his eyes and he imaged what Bruce was talking about and ice ran through his veins.

"Carter is Terminal" Terry stated in realization.

"Suit up" said Bruce.

"In daylight"

"No choice"

* * *

**Mr. Gregg's Antique Shop: Same Time**

The Gray Ghost exited through the back of the shop and he looked at the back alley.

'_And now the trail has gone cold'_ he thought to himself. He had just finished analyzing the Kobra lab, during his overview he was able to identify Zander's new DNA pattern but it didn't do him much good because the trail ending when he walked into the alley.

'_Now I have to sneak into_ _the NGCPD building and steal the_ _file that Detective Bullock was compiling. The quicker I do this the quicker I can catch up to Zander'_ he thought. The Gray Ghost raised his head up to the sky to see the sun high in the sky.

"Daylight….uh I hate Daylight" he said to himself, mostly because he knew that in the Daylight it would be hard for him to move around freely. Luckily though The Gray Ghost was prepared, he reached into one of his pouches on his utility belt and he removed a wrist watch. He slipped the watch on his left wrist and he turned the dial. The light around him bended and he turned invisible.

'_Gotta move quick…this cloaking device only has about 1 hour of battery power. Note to self…..invent better cloaking device' _he thought as his cloak went rigid and the rockets in his boots roared to life. The Gray Ghost lifted up into the air and flew away.

* * *

**25 minutes Later: NGCPD**

Detective Montoya Bullock slipped into the police headquarters and made her way up the steps. She grunted silently to herself because of her injuries but she wouldn't let a little thing like that stop her from what she's set her mind out to do and that's to find Zander. The Detective weaved her way through the ever busy precinct, hoping to get to her desk before anyone noticed her….specifically Commissioner Gordon. She reached her desk thank God she didn't run into anyone. Montoya quickly searched her desk and she sat down in the seat. She booted up her computer and once it finished booting up she pulled up a file she had save on her hard drive name: Gotham. A medium list of places and addresses pulled up on the screen and she smirked to herself as she pressed print.

* * *

**10 minutes Later**

Detective Bullock grabbed the small stack of papers from the printer and she folded them up and put them in her coat pocket.

'_Now to sneak out of here'_ she thought to herself causally making her way to the stairs but as soon as she reached them she had to get out of sight because who should be coming up the stairs but Commissioner Gordon and her mother.

'_Oh Come on… is my luck that bad'_ she thought to herself hiding behind a hovering vending machine.

"Stubborn just like her father" Summer said anger evident in her voice.

"She does have a stubborn streak, just like myself and like you Summer and if I know her she's probably at her desk" said Commissioner Gordon.

"She needs to be at the hospital"

Detective Bullock waited until the two women were far out of sight before she quickly made her way down the steps and out of the NGCPD precinct.

* * *

**Outside**

The Detective rushed to her car that she had parked away from the Precinct, she got inside and started up the car.

"Going somewhere" came a voice.

Montoya jumped at the voice and turned to the passenger's seat, the light shimmered and the Gray Ghost appeared.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN MY CAR!" she shouted.

"Hahaaha Detective I'm full of many secret" he replied.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Well I've been here since you arrived at the Precinct….after I checked out that Antique shop I Figured I'd swing back here and get that list but who should I see when I got here….so I figured…."

"You'd wait for me to get it and then take it….well I've got news for you, I ain't gonna make it easy. Neo-Gotham is my turf and if you're going up against these guys I want in…no ifs, ands, or butts" she stated looking at him with a hard glare.

"Detective these aren't your run of the mill punks….this is Kobra a Highly lethal organization that has come close to killing me on several occasions and I can assure you that it's a very hard thing to do, so I'm urging you to sit this one out before you get yourself killed"

"I'm a big girl….I can take care of myself"

The Gray Ghost let out a dry laugh as he shook his hood covered head.

"I'm not going to win this am I?" he asked.

"Nope, so just sit back and enjoy the ride because we have a ton of places to check out" she replied shifting the gears and stepping on the gas.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's: Underground **

The Huntress aka Helena Bertinelli sat on her throne eyes trained on the individual in front of her, an individual who has been with her for a very long time a person she trust more than anyone in the world and it was a person that she loved like a sister….it was the elderly Charlotte-Gage Radcliffe aka Misfit.

The Huntress eyes softened a little as she read the expressions going across her sister's face; it was mostly because of the mission that the empress had bestowed upon her. A few hours ago she had conversed with her top general in her Knightbreed Organization: Vanquish and he had given her some words of advice. Their numbers were down and while their enemies plotted they did nothing but sit in their _'cave'_ and lick their wounds, Vanquish suggested that it was time for them to get pro-active in seeking out their enemies, they didn't have many members to spare but he suggested a more safer method….which happened to Misfit because of unique teleporting ability. She could teleport in and out and report on their enemies doings and their strong holds. Helena while agreeing with his suggestion of spying while they gathered their numbers she however didn't agree with using Misfit. The reason is because while Misfits teleporting is valuable it's also deadly to her because every time she teleports she ages rapidly. Both women began to notice the rapid ageing during the early days of the Knightbreed when they were both gathering like minded people to their cause. Charlotte was in her 20s. They noticed that the more she ported the older she appeared the more she aged. Charlotte's powers were a mystery even to this day and Helena adding not seeking out the origin of her powers as another one of her failures, but that failure…..was nothing compared to what she was going to do now. Helena thought long and hard about Vanquish's suggestion and she had come to the conclusion that he was correct and that they needed Misfit for this mission, but if she were to do this mission it would surely mean the end of her. Charlotte already looked like she was in her late 70s, anymore teleporting and she would continue to age until…she died, but it was for the greater good Helena told herself. For hours she wrestled with the decision until she made her choice and called for Misfit…her sister. Helena stood up from her seat and looked at her sister who shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you understand what I'm asking of you Charlotte?" she asked making her way down the steps to stand in front of her.

"I-I do…but….I don't want to die"

"Oh dear sister….you're not going to die" said Huntress

"I'm not"

"No, you're going to go home. Where Dinah, Zinda, Hank, and Dawn…..our family is patiently waiting for you" Helena replied.

Charlotte smiled slightly at the mention of their little make-shift family. Her mind let each of their face before her eyes and all of the happy times that they spent together came to the forefront.

"Charlotte I know what I'm asking of you is….a great undertaking but this is for the greater good. All that we have worked for is at stake; if you do not do this these animals will do to someone else what they did to our family"

"I won't let that happen" stated Charlotte with conviction.

"I'm glad"

"I will make the sacrifice for the Knightbreed…and for you"

Huntress let a small smile pass over her lips.

"Where must I go?" she asked.

"The Jokerz are mostly concentrated in the East of Gotham….start there….remember you're in and out find out everything you can about them. How many of them are remaining….the works, do you understand?"

"I do" Charlotte responded.

"Be safe sister" Huntress said before Charlotte disappeared in a pop and flash of pink.

Huntress continued to stare in the spot that Charlotte had just occupied and a sad smile adorned her lips, because of what she was doing to arguable the last person she cared about, but as quickly as the brief moment of weakness came Helena replaced it with a look of indifference…..taking all of her sadness and burying deep within her. She put those thoughts of personal matters and feelings to the back of her mind as the tactical mind set of the Huntress took over.

'_Charlotte knows what she was getting into…..it's for the greater good'_ she thought turning around and head back to her throne.

* * *

**Gotham Eastside Park**

"FU…. AHHHHH" shouted a young man garbed in a jokerz outfit right before a kick found its way to his mouth, the force behind the kick spewed teeth and blood everywhere.

Brain dropped his foot to the ground and he angrily eyed the four other Jokerz standing a few inches away.

"I won't ask again WHERE IS TERMINAL!"

"SCREW YOU! GET'EM!" shouted one of the Jokerz and upon his shout the other Jokerz followed suit.

Brian wasted no time in rushing forward; he hopped up and kneed one of the charging Jokerz in the chin knocking him back and to the ground. He landed and crouched and swept the feet of another one who went flying into the monkey bars head first knocking him out cold. Brian rolled into a crouch and he eyed the last two, who were looking at him with fearful eyes. They back up and swallowed hard as they stared into his eyes, his vengeful and angry eyes.

"Terminal" he growled

"W-We don't know…..T-Terminal usually finds us" one of them replied hope that would quell the obvious blood lust.

"YOU'RE LYING!" he shouted about to take a step forward but before he could reach them the sounds of motorcycles could be heard.

Rapidly approaching from down the street were about a dozen Jokerz on their motorcycles, their engines revved loudly as they zoomed forward and came to a stop.

Brian eyed them unafraid but his eyes zeroed in on one of the Jokerz…the one that got away from him at the restaurant a few hours ago.

"THERE HE IS! I TOLD YOU!" he shouted pointing at Brian.

The lead Joker in charge stepped off of his bike and he eyed Brian. The Joker was about 5'11, burly but not overly muscular, he was wearing a red jester hat and the Jokerz trade mark white face paint and red lipstick. He was also wearing a red coat, black pants, and green shoes.

"Who are you?" asked Brian

"Name's Scab and I hear you're looking for some trouble" he replied with a smile.

"I'm looking for Terminal….one of you assholes knows where he is and I want to know now" Brian said forcefully.

"Terminal…hmmm….name doesn't ring a bell but tell ya what I'll ask around…hey any of you guys ever hear of someone named Terminal" Scab asked turning to his group.

"Nope"

"Never heard of him"

"Did he say Terminator?"

"Who the heck is Terminal?"

Brian gritted his teeth, they were playing stupid and it only served to make his blood boil with anger. He took a step forward but his eyes widen as several Jokerz pulled out some guns.

"Oh looks like no one here has ever heard of a person named Terminal but you my friend are about to be Terminal…..Terminally ill because of lead poisoning…LIGHT EM UP!" shouted Scab.

**BUDDDDAA BUDDAAAA** went the sound of the automatic weapons being fired. Brian turned and ran passed the monkey bars that provide him semi-cover as he jumped through the jungle gym. The multiple metal bars providing him with some more cover but not enough as a bullet grazed his leg.

"ERGH!" he grunted but he didn't stop….he couldn't. He kept running dodging the gun fire as best as he could until he reached the bushes at the edge of the park and dove through and over the fence.

"AFTER HIM!" shouted Scab taking off at full speed. Some of the Jokerz followed after Scab while a few of the other started up their motorcycles and rode off in hopes of cutting Brian off.

* * *

**Air**

The Batmobile flew high in the sky over Neo-Gotham. It didn't take Terry long to run back to his house and grab his costume and after getting it Bruce sent over the batmobile.

"Where am I going?" asked Batman

"Give me a second" Bruce replied over the line.

As he was waiting for Bruce's response Batman reflected over the revelation that Carter was Terminal.

'I knew there was something about that guy…..Jesus Dana. I've got to warn her to stay away from him until I can bring him to justice' he thought

"Okay I've got something" stated Bruce.

"What is it?"

"Look at your screen I'm sending it to the batmobile now"

**BEEP!** Batman stared at the screen as it changed into a map of Neo-Gotham, and there were two big dots on the screen.

"What am I looking at?" asked Batman

"After we established Carter's identity as Terminal I hacked into the Gotham phone network"

"Isn't that illegal?"

"I searched for Carter's Cell phone and it turns out he made a call earlier today" said Bruce ignoring Batman's comment.

Batman looked at the two dots on the screen.

"Let me guess one is where Carter is and the other…"

"Is the receiver" Bruce finished.

One of the dots zoomed in and an image of the place was shown on the screen.

"North Gotham" said Batman pushing on the controls.

The batmobile turned in the air and heading in the direction of North Gotham.

"What about Carter's position"

"I'm monitoring his cell phone and it says that's he at Neo-Gotham Chemical Plant…the one downtown…I'm calling Barbara now. You just worry about the hostage; the address is that of an old Subway station that was part of the old Gotham system"

"Gotcha" said Batman before the link was cut and he pushed harder on the controls.

* * *

**East-Gotham **

**POP! **

"Ugh" came the groan from Misfit as she teleported to the roof of a condemned building, she sucked in a few large breaths before leaning on the edge and looking over. After she received her mission from Helena she immediately set out for East Gotham using her teleporting power to locate any Jokerz, luckily she didn't have to look long because a large group of them were riding their motorcycles down the street, she followed them from a distance until they came to a stop at a park that look semi-abandoned if it wasn't for a few Jokerz and Brian Milwood. Misfit instantly recognized him and she wondered what he was doing but she received her answer when she heard him ask for Terminal. She continued to watch as the Jokerz opened fire upon him and him running away with the Jokerz following him.

She hung back watching the event unfold all the while following him through his journey wondering what the hell he was doing out of uniform and taking on the Jokerz.

Misfit caught her breath and peered over the edge at Brian who was running down the sidewalk.

* * *

**Down Below**

"Damn" he said to himself as he continued to run

**VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!** Brian turned his head to see three Jokerz on motorcycles turn the corner.

"THERE HE IS!" one of them shouted. Brian turned and saw them riding after him, he knew he needed to act fast because they were about to be in range of shooting him. He glanced to the left and saw a trash can. He ran over to it and he grabbed the lid and dash into the street, The Jokerz saw him and raised their guns. Brian tossed the lid like a Frisbee at the wheel of the Joker leading the three. The lid hit wheel throwing the balance off, the motorcycle wobbled as the Joker tried to steady it but he failed he turned sharply and his motorcycle jackknifed clipping the other two cause them to wobble and then skid across the pavement. All three Jokerz went flying hitting and sliding across the ground violently.

Brian let out a few quick breaths as he saw them go down, he turned to see some civilians standing nearby watching everything.

"GET OUT OF HERE! NOW! MORE OF…"

"AHAHAHA THERE'S THE ASSHOLE!"

Brian turned to the corner to see Scab and the rest of Jokerz turned the corner with their weapons raised.

**VROOM! VROOOM! **

He turned around to see more Jokerz on motorcycles heading his way from behind him.

'Damn I'm surrounded' he thought but he immediately had to duck because bullets started flying his way. Brian weaved his way towards a parked car and dove across the hood out of harm's way.  
**PING! PING! PING!** Went the sound of the bullets ricocheting off of the vehicle.

'They've got you pinned Brian….what do you do now?' he thought.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA" laughed the Jokerz wildly as they continued to fire.

* * *

**NGCPD**

Commissioner Barbara Gordon was in her office sitting in front a mound of paper work, one of the things she hated most about being Commissioner….the paperwork. Barbara let out a long sigh and she reached for the bottom drawer of her desk. She pulled it open to reveal a glass and big bottle of scotch.

'_Now I know why you kept one in your desk Dad….days like today'_ she thought grabbing the glass and the bottle. She popped the top on the scotch and she poured herself a nice sized glass. Barbara picked up the glass but right before it touched her lips one of her Lieutenants burst through the door.

'_God dammit' _

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore" she said releasing a frustrated sigh before putting her glass down.

"Sorry Commissioner but we just got word of a Jokerz shootout going on in East Gotham"

"WHAT! Do we have anyone on scene?"

"Yes Ma'am but I thought I should let you know since you instructed us to let you know about any and all Joker sightings"

"Thank You" Barbara replied standing up from her desk but before she could make another move her phone started to ring. She reached into her pocket and she grabbed her phone and answered it.

"Gordon" she stated.

"Barbara it's me...there's a situation" said Bruce.

"I'm listening"

* * *

**East Gotham**

'_I'm a sitting duck…..I've gotta get….an advantage'_ thought Brian doing his best hide behind the parked car and away from the bullets. He turned his head and he looked at the car door and he got a crazy idea. He carefully reached up to the handle and he pulled it, and luckily the door was open, Brian reached up under the steering wheel and he grasped the panel below and yanked it off exposing the wires. He grabbed some of the wires and he touched them together and the engine cut on. Brian pulled himself into the car still keeping his head low as possible. He glanced out of the window looking to see where the Jokerz were and once he had an idea he put the car in gear and he slammed his foot on the gas.  
**SCREEEEEEEECH!** The car sped forward. Brian lifted his head up towards the Jokerz on the motorcycles.

"SHIT!" one of them shouted seeing the car heading towards them.

Brian gripped the steering wheel tightly as the car barreled into them running them and their motorcycles over. Brian switched the gears to reverse and he slammed his foot on the gas again. The bullet ridden car he was inside screeched and zoomed backwards towards Scab and his group of Jokerz.

"LOOKOUT!" he shouted jumping out of the way, but while he jumped some of his friends weren't so lucky and they got rammed by the car. Brian took some satisfaction when he felt the car hit the Jokerz and they scream out before suddenly being silenced.

* * *

Scab picked himself off of the ground and he looked at the car that was a few feet away. He stood there gripping his gun tightly and his eyes found Brian's. The two stared at each other for a long minute before the car switched gears loudly.

"COME ON!" shouted Scab un-afraid.

Brian slammed his foot on the gas again and the car went speeding forward. Scab waited for a second and then lifted his gun and fired a single shot before diving out of the way.

The bullet found its mark, by going through the glass and ripping into Brian's shoulder.

"ARGH!" he shouted in pain. The Sudden shock made him swerve off course and towards the store.

**CRASH!** Went the sound of the car crashing through the window of a store.

* * *

Scab grinned to himself as he saw the car swerve and crash through the store, the people inside screamed and yelled before frantically running out. Scab got up and he looked around for a second some of his crew were still alive…shaken up but alive and they were picking themselves up and looking at the store as well.

"Let's finish him off boys" said Scab and he proceeded to walk over towards the bullet ridden and crashed car.

* * *

Pain was the only thing he felt, his injuries sustained early in the day came rushing back to him along with his newest injuries, first from the bullets and now from the crash. Brian pushed himself up off of the steering wheel and he leaned back in the seat. He could feel the blood running down his head and he could feel the sting of the bullet wound in his shoulder. Everything was still ringing but he wasn't completely out of it, he knew that he was in a bad spot and that he need to get away. Brian gingerly reached his hand up and pulled the release, the door opened and immediately he fell out and to the ground groaning even more.

"Jesus" he said to himself as he scooted away from the vehicle.

**CRUNCH!** Brian turned his head to the right to see Scab standing at the hole he created with the car. Whatever pain he was feeling was immediately pushed to the back of his mind as he forced himself to stand up and face the Joker before him.

"You have certain made us work for this kill…..whoever you are" said Scab with a smile as he walked a little bit closer.

Brian spit out some blood and looked past him for a second, he could see more Jokerz approaching and he knew in his state that he would be hard pressed to make it out of this fight alive but he would be damned if he let that show, so he stared at Scab without an ounce of fear in him.

"Where is Terminal?" he growled

"He's off doing was he does best…..what we all do best….causing Mayhem, Destruction….and Death" Scab replied raising his gun at Brian.

**WHOOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOO!**  
"THIS IS THE POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND LAY DOWN ON THE GROUND!"

"COPS!" shouted the Jokerz standing outside the store; they raised their weapons and stared firing at the police.

Scab turned his head and that proved to be his mistake because as soon as his head turned Brian lunged and tackled him to the ground. The two enemies rolled along the ground both battling for dominance of the gun and while they fought, the Jokerz were being dealt with by the police who had returned fire against them.

Scab rolled on top of Brian and began to punch him hard in the face; Brian gritted his teeth and took the blows making sure to keep the gun away. Scab raised his fist going in for another punch when Brian finally struck. He brought his hand up for a quick chop to the throat causing Scab to gag. Brian palm struck him in the nose tossing him off of him, he rose up and lunged for the gun and he managed to pry it from Scab's fingers and then throw it away. Scab was still gagging but he reached his hand out for the weapon that was completely out of his range.

Brian growled in his throat and he grabbed Scab by his shoulder and rolled him over, he gripped the front of his clothes and he raised his fist and brought it down on Scab's face as hard and as violently as he could. Over and Over and Over he punched Scab in the face, Blood sprayed as well as teeth but he didn't stop, he couldn't…he was lost in his blood lust for retribution, but it was his blood lust that would cost him, because while he was so focused on hurting scab he wasn't paying attention to his surrounding, which allowed one of Scab's crew to get a shot off.

**POW! **

"ARGH!" shouted Brian as he felt another bullet rip through him this time in the arm. He was knocked off Scab who was somehow still conscious. Scab weakly but quickly began to craw away. He didn't have to crawl too long before one of his crew members came and help him up

"WE GOTTA GO MORE COPS ARE ON THE WAY!" he shouted dragging the weakened Scab out of the hole.

Brian pushed himself up on his good elbow and watched them leave.

"No" he whispered because he just went through hell and he's still no closer to finding Terminal. He started to get to his feet trying his best to ignoring his ever painful injuries, Brian took a step forward before he stopped because cop cars started to land and cops started to get out, their focus was still on the Jokerz but they were beginning to flee. Knowing that cops could not get involved in his quest Brian turned around and searched for an exit which he found. A back entrance to the store he was inside.

* * *

Brian stumbled out of the store and to the backstreets behind the store, he tried to run but his legs buckled and he fell to the ground. He was weak….too weak he had been exerting himself to the max for the past couple of hours…..he needed to rest and he needed medical attention, but he couldn't go to the hospital because they ask too many questions, so he did the next best thing. He reached into his pocket and he removed his cell phone. He dialed some numbers and he waited.

**CLICK!**

"Hello"

"Evan…I….need you to come and get me"

"Dude you sound terrible what…"

"Questions later Ev….I need you to come get me"

"Sure, where are you?"

"East Gotham…..Grisham Avenue….bring your car and a first aid"

"I'm on the way just sit tight" said Evan hanging up the phone.

"Hmph….I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon"

* * *

**Gotham North**

Batman fell through the air at a rapid pace, at a level altitude he spread his arms revealing his glider wings and he glided down to the ground. He landed in front of the old Subway system entrance.

North Gotham while still being the most developed part of Gotham, mostly because of the more wealthy inhabitants there were still some parts that were left untouched….the last remnants of the Old Gotham City. Batman looked up as he spotted the new train system pass on the rails over head and then he turned his eyes back to the underground subway system entrance, underground Subways had been abandoned long ago so like Bruce had said it is the perfect place to hide someone.

Batman turned the dial on his belt and made himself invisible, once invisible he ventured down the beat up and broken steps.

* * *

Batman touched down at the bottom of the steps and he looked around and he had to use a word to describe what he saw that word would be: decrepit. Old and worn out stones littered the walls, torn posters, uprooted tiles, as well as dirt and grim. Batman stepped over some trash while venturing further into the Subway.

He walked towards and then into the old metal train its broken door hoping to see the Jokerz but he didn't, he looked into the train and he still didn't see anything.

"Damn" he whispered to himself "But where" he said to himself. Batman was about to back up out of the train when Bruce interrupted him.

'_Wait' _

"Jeez...…Don't do that…..give me some warning before you pop in like that, did you talk to Commissioner Gordon" Batman whispered.

'_Yes, she's on top of it…..look down'_ said Bruce.

"Why"

"_Just do it" _

Batman let out a sigh and then he looked down on the ground, suddenly his vision zoomed in on a crumbled bag of potato chips. The vision of the bag was zoomed in and it was analyzed, and once that was finished it zoomed back out and upon zooming out his cowl beep and then the eye sockets changed to all blue hue.

"What the hell"

'_I just had the bat-suit analyze the potato chip bag…..No one has been down there for years and something like that potato chip bag would have disintegrated into nothing, bio-degradable bags were made mandatory almost 40 years ago' _

"Meaning that it doesn't belong in this scenario"

'_Right' _

"Why is everything blue?"

'_I've activate the particle anomaly tracking beacon' _

"The what"

'_Dick, Barbara, Tim and Damian used to call it Detective Mode. It will allow you to track whoever was eating those chips; you should be seeing something now' _

A yellow trail could be seen appearing in Batman's vision.

"Yeah….a yellow trail"

'_That's a breath trail…..follow it, it will lead you right to them' _

"Sway" he said walking towards the door in front of him, he grabbed edges and pried it open and stepped onto the other side. He looked to the right to see the trail heading towards the end of the train. He wasted no time in running towards the end of the train. The yellow trail continued past the end of the train and off of the platform into the pitch black tunnel, Batman jumped off the platform and ran down the tunnel following the trail.

* * *

**Underground Hideout**

Chucko popped open another bag of chips and he started to greedily eat them. He, The twins, and woof were still patiently guarding Brian's sister while waiting on a call from Terminal.

"I'm BORED!" shouted Deidre in anger sitting up from her bean bag cushion she looked at her sister, then at Woof who was licking himself but still guarding Courtney and then at Chucko who was eating his favorite chips, but none of them acknowledged her, "Did you guys hear what I said…."

"OH SHUT UP DEE-DEE! WE'RE ALL BORED!" Delia shouted at her sister.

"And the more you whine about it the longer it seems" Chucko added in a bored tone popping another chip in his mouth.

"HEY DON"T TELL ME TO SHUT UP!" she shouted standing up.

While those three were arguing Woof continued to lick himself until his ears perked up he turned around and he looked at the darkened tunnel curiously. He walked towards the edge of the platform and he raised his nose and sniffed.

"God dammit at least call Terminal again please"

"If it will shut you up fine…..I'll call Terminal again" snapped Delia picking up her phone and pressing send.

She held the phone to her ear.

* * *

"GGRRRRRR WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

Delia turned to see Woof barking and growling.

"What the hell is wrong with that Mutt" growled Delia before Woof went flying back across the ground. The Twins and Chucko instantly stood up as they saw Batman de-cloak.

"BATMAN!" they all shouted.

'_I told you that you needed to work on your stealth McGinnis' _

"Okay you were right I was wrong….happy" He responded before getting into a stance, he glanced to the left and he saw Courtney staring at him with wide eyes, "Don't worry I'm here to help" he said to her.

"GET EM' shouted Chucko charging forward.

Batman waited for him to get close, he ducked under Chucko's strike and he responded with a powerful uppercut to the chin followed by an equally powerful kick to the solar plexus, Chucko grabbed his stomach in agony before crumpling to the floor. Batman looked up from Chucko at the rising Woof and the Twins. Woof growled and then lunged at him. Batman flicked his wrist and produced a batarang. He threw the batarang and in mid-air it split in two revealing some thick wire that wrapped tightly around woof tying him up.

Woof struggled in the wire but it held strong. Batman smirked at him and then turned his eyes to Delia and Deidre. The twins looked at each other and then back at Batman.

"We give up" they said at the same time raising their hands in the air.

"Smart girls" he said letting his smirk grow into a smile as he flicked both of his wrist producing two batarangs that he threw at the twins.

* * *

After tying up the Jokerz Batman walked over to Courtney and he pulled the gag from her mouth and cut the rope around her. She lunged at him and hugged him around the neck.

"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" she shouted over and over again hugging him tightly.

"You're welcome" he replied patting her on the back.

"BATMAN THEY KILLED MY MOTHER!"

"I know….I'm sorry"

"YOU HAVE TO HELP MY BROTHER I-I-I HEARD THEY ARE GONNA TRY TO KILL HIM TOO!"

"I am…don't worry I know what's going on which is why I came to save you, come on let's get you out of here" he said softly.

'_I'm sending the Batmobile to your location it should be arriving now'_ said Bruce over the line.

**BOOOM! **

Batman turned around to see a hole being blown through the roof and a net lowered to the ground.

* * *

**Across Town- Chemical Plant**

**RING! RING! RING! **

"WHAT!" snapped Terminal as he answered his phone, "WHAT!" he shouted again as he didn't hear anyone talking.

"BATMAN!" he heard Delia shout and then the line went dead. Terminal took the phone away from his ear and he looked at it in shock. Upon hearing Batman's name his blood ran cold.

'_NO! He couldn't have figured out my plan…so soon….so how did he…' _started Terminal before he looked at his cell phone, '_Maybe he traced the call…..how….it doesn't' matter….I'll just have to accelerate things a bit' _he thought to himself. Terminal looked out of the window and in the distance he could see cop cars flying towards their location.

'_DAMN THAT POINTY EARED BASTARD!_' he shouted in his mind, Terminal gritted his teeth and he quickly dialed a few numbers.

**CLICK! **

"Who is this?"

"Have you forgotten me already Brian"

"TERMINAL! WHEN I FIND YOU I'm GONNA RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!"

"Sounds like fun, but you should remember I still have your sister so I'd watch what I say if I were you"

"…What do you want?" Brian growled.

"Give me the address to the Knightbreed's"

"What"

"You heard me give me the Knightbreed's hideout"

"No"

"Your sister Brian…what is more important her life or the life of your Knightbreed friends"

"I-I can't…."

"Yes you can and once you tell me I'll tell you where you can find her"

"How do I know you're telling the truth" he asked.

"You don't…..I guess you'll have to take a leap of faith" Terminal replied eyes still looking at the police as they drew closer and closer.

"…Mama Roselli's over….'

"TRAITOR!" a new voice shouted before the line suddenly went dead. Terminal took the phone away from his ear and looked at it.  
**WHOOOO WHOOOO** went the sirens.

"THIS IS THE POLICE! I'M COMMISSIONER GORDON OF THE NGCPD AND I'M TELLING YOU CARTER WILSON OR TERMINAL TO COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" she shouted over the bull horn. Terminal's eyes widen even further.

"BATMAN!" he growled knowing that it was he that was responsible for figuring out his identity. He gripped his cell phone tightly, he whipped around to Ghoul and Bonk, who were looking at him, his eyes traveled past them and to Dr. Draben. He stormed over to him and grabbed him by the front of his lab coat.

"HOW MUCH OF THE GAS DO YOU HAVE!"

"A-A-About….15 canisters" he stuttered.

"15….THERE SHOULD BE MORE!"

"I'M TRYING BUT I NEED MORE TIME!" Dr. Draben shouted back.

"We're out of Time"

"YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO COMPLY BEFORE WE COME IN!"

"Do you have the antidote" Terminal asked.

"Yes"

"Give it to me" he stated with angry eyes.

* * *

**Outside **

"Strike Team let's go" said Commissioner Gordon with her weapon raised, she along with a dozen other police officers stormed into the building.

* * *

Barbara eyed he main lobby and seeing that it was empty immediately eyed the steps and quickly but cautiously made her way up the steps and to the double doors of the lab.

She came to a stop on one side of the door while another officer took the other side, and another one grabbed the handle to the door. Barbara held up her fist signaling her strike team to hold their position.

"1…2…..3….POLICE!" she shouted as the doors swung open and they stormed inside.

* * *

**CLANG! SHHHHHHHHHHHH! **

The first thing that Barbara saw when she entered the lab were the Jokerz standing a few feet away, but then her eyes landed on 2 silver canisters rolling her way and spewing from the canisters was a solid green gas. The gas swept over her, her strike team and the entire lab.

'_NO!'_ she thought in her mind as she inhaled the gas. The reaction was instant, she felt seizing in her gut, her eyes began to burn as well as her lung and despite all of that she and everyone else...began to laugh.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HAHAHA" everyone laughed. The officers dropped their weapons and feel to their knees laughing uncontrollably.

Terminal and the Jokerz stood in the gas not laughing because they were able to take the antidote in time. He looked around at the scientists who were also laughing as well.

"Let's go" he stated to his Jokerz as they quickly began to run out of the lab but before they left Terminal's eyes found the eyes of the struggling but still laughing Commissioner Gordon. He flashed her a smile before he and the Jokerz hurried down the steps.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Barbara as she fell down to her knees, she shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone and pressed send.

* * *

**Batcave**

Bruce was typing into his computer when it began to flash, he pressed a button and he answered the call.

"Barbara"

"B-B-Bruce….HAHAHAHAHAHA! J-Joker…..HAHAHAHA VENOM! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Bruce's eyes widen in shock as he hit another button.

"MCGINNIS!"

* * *

**In the Air**

The Batmobile flew through the air at a leisurely speed. Batman had just dropped off the jokerz at the NGCPD and he had also dropped off Brian's sister, he explained the situation to one of the officers despite the fact that everyone was giving him astonished looks. Most of the officers had heard that Batman was back but to actually see him was another thing. He told the officer that Commissioner Gordon is aware of the situation and to just contact her. Once that was taken care of he quickly got back into the Batmobile and took off in hopes of finding Dana and tell her about Carter and to tell Max that Batman rescued Brian's sister.

**BEEP! BEEP!** Batman hit the call switch.

"MCGINNIS! GET TO THE CHEMICAL PLANT NOW! BARBARA IS IN TROUBLE! "

"ON IT!" he shouted twisting the controls and flying in the direction of the chemical plant, "What's the situation" he asked

"Barbara and her officers have inhaled Joker Venom…a simple yet powerful chemical combination that makes the victim laugh uncontrollably until they die"

"Jesus…..how did Terminal get the recipe?"

"I don't know just get there…they only have a few minutes to live"

Batman pushed on the controls and the Batmoblie rocketed through the air at top speed.

* * *

**Chemical Plant**

The Batmobile reached the chemical plant in record time; Batman looked out the screen to see the building coming into view.

"What do I..."

"RAM THE BUILDING!" shouted Bruce.

"What?"

"IT NEEDS VENTILATION!"

Batman braced himself as he kept the vehicle at top speed.

"HERE WE GO!" he shouted just as the Batmobile hit the building.

* * *

**Inside**

"HAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!" laughed Barbara hitting the ground, even though she was laughing she could still think, _'McGinnis…..Hurry….U….'_ she started before.

**BOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of the wall being knocked out and the Batmobile come crashing through. The green gas rapidly seeped out of the lab and into the outside.

* * *

"_McGinnis your suit activate the filter this time"_

Batman hit a button on his belt and small filter passed over his nose and mouth.

"ON your wrists there is a small injection needle and on your belt there is an anti-venom drug….4th slot left side"

Batman reached into the slot and he pulled out 4 small vials, he then turned his left wrist over and placed two vials inside and then he did the same thing to the right side.

* * *

The top of the Batmobile slid open and Batman jumped out and to the ground. He looked around and he spot Barbara on the ground, he quickly ran over to her and pressed his wrist to her neck. A small needle shot out and administered the antidote. Barbara immediately stopped laughing and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she passed out.

'_An effect of the drug'_ Bruce stated.

Batman quickly as he could began to administer more of the antidote to the other laughing victims hoping and praying that he wasn't too late in saving them.

* * *

**Elsewhere: Evan Apartment: Minutes Earlier: **

"There…..that should do it" stated Evan as he wrapped the last of Brian's wounds, "Jesus man you look like you've been through hell"

"And the day isn't over yet" Brian replied as he stared at his reflection in the mirror of Evan's bathroom. He scrunched his eyes up and rose from his spot on the edge of the tub and he ventured out of the bathroom limping badly.

"Hey where are you going?"

"I told you….they got my sister….I can't stop until I find her" he replied

"Bri I know them having Courtney is killing you but look at yourself you're about to drop you need to rest….at least for an hour or so"

"NO!" Brian shouted whipping around to his best friend.

After Evan picked Brian up from the ambush he immediately told him about the situation he found himself in with the Jokerz. At first Evan was pissed that Brian didn't call him first and ask for help but his anger subsided into worry as he saw the injured state of his friend. Brian had been shot, stabbed, bumps, bruises and glass cuts all over. Evan shook his head at looked his friend in the eyes, there would be no stopping him, until his sister was safe.

"Well then if you're going you must know I'm coming with you"

"Ev…"

"Shut up before I kick your ass…..I'm coming with you, and I'm still pissed you didn't call me in the first place"

"I'm Sorry I couldn't wait I had to move quickly and….."

**RING! RING!**

Brian looked down at his pocket and he removed his phone and he quickly answered the phone.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"Have you forgotten me already Brian" came Terminal's voice over the line.

"TERMINAL! WHEN I FIND YOU I'm GONNA RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!"

"Sounds like fun, but you should remember I still have your sister so I'd watch what I say if I were you"

"…What do you want?" Brian growled.

"Give me the address to the Knightbreed's hideout"

"What"

"You heard me… give me the Knightbreed's hideout"

"No"

"Your sister Brian…what is more important, her life or the life of your Knightbreed friends"

"I-I can't…."

"Yes you can and once you tell me I'll tell you where you can find her"

"How do I know you're telling the truth" he asked.

"You don't…..I guess you'll have to take a leap of faith" Terminal replied

"…Mama Roselli's over…."

"TRAITOR!"

Brian and Evan turned to see a pink flash and the elderly Misfit come charging out with a knife held high, she came forward and stabbed Brian in the shoulder.

"ARGH!" he shouted in agony dropping the phone and ending the call. Misfit twisted the knife earning another shout from Brian.

"NO ONE BETRAYS THE BROTHERHOOD!"

Evan reacted and kicked her as hard as he could in the side knocking her off of Brian but leaving the knife. Brian took a step back and yanked the knife out of his shoulder and dropped it to the floor, he stared up at Misfit.

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" he shouted, "That lunatic has my sister"

"You swore an oath to us….you became one of us…our sibling and you just sold us out to our enemies" Misfit replied in a low voice, "So you…the both of you leave me no choice" she continued before popping out.

"Shit...where did…." started Evan.

**POP!**

He turned around in time to avoid a chop to the neck, he took a step back while Brian lifted his leg for a kick but Misfit disappeared again.

**POP!** Brian felt a punch to the base of his spine causing his legs to buckle and him go crashing to a knee. Evan jumped and caught Misfit with a punch to jaw, the elder woman recovered and responded with a palm strike to Evan's jaw, she then grabbed his arm and delivered a hard strike to his mid-section. Misfit stomped on his foot and the head butted him in the head and she finally shoved him away. As Evan was knocked away Brian came in with a straight punch that hit her in the nose drawing blood. Misfit took the punch and then disappeared in a flash of pink.

Brian hunched over for a second trying to catch his breath, his vision was starting to swim slightly, he was injured and extremely tired but he couldn't stop because he knew Misfit would definitely kill him.

**POP!** He turned to the left to see her running in but then she disappeared again,

**POP!** Brian looked up in time to get a foot to the face that knocked him back and down to the ground where he let out a loud moan of pain. Misfit pulled out another knife from off of her person and she disappeared in another flash of pink.

Brian groaned from his spot on the ground, attempting to push himself up.

**POP!**  
Brian's eyes widen as he saw Misfit appear in the air over him, he saw the knife in hand and her intention of coming down on top of him with it.

"DIE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs coming down with the knife, but as she came down Evan dove on top of Brian and took the knife to his back.

A look of pain crossed Evan's face as he stared into Brian's eyes.

"NOOO!" yelled Brain.

Misfit disappeared. Brian pushed Evan off of him and gently set him down on the ground.

Evan's coughed some blood and he tried to say something.

"SHHHH Don't talk…you're gonna be fine just…..just stay with me" he said frantically "Come on Ev...I can't lose you too" he replied.

**POP! **

"You shall share his fate" came Misfit's voice from behind him. She raised her knife high and was about to plunge it into his neck. Brain was looking down at Evan when he saw the knife that Misfit used to stab him with, acting quick he grabbed in and turned and plunged it deep into her heart.

"ACK!" she cried out feeling the steal in her chest. Misfit back away and grabbed at the blade looking down at it in shock. Her eyes met Brian's before she disappeared in one final flash of pink.

Once she was gone Brian turned back to Evan and then reached into his pocket, he retrieved Max's phone and he immediately dialed 911.

"Just stay with me…help is on the way" he replied putting the phone to his ear.

* * *

**Knightbreed Underground Throne Room**

Huntress and Vanquish were talking to each other when they both heard the pop.

POP!

They looked to see Misfit appear with a blade in her chest.

"CHARLOTTE NOOOOOOO!" Huntress cried out jumping off of her throne and running towards her sister. She caught her just before she fell and she looked into her pain filled eyes.

"Charlotte stay with me"

"Helena…sister…..we….we've been betrayed"

* * *

**Elsewhere: In the Air**

Terminal sat in the passenger's seat of a stolen car in deep concentration. His plans were almost ruin thanks in large part to one of his enemies….Batman. Terminal snorted his nostrils at the thought of Batman as an enemy…apparently he had been underestimating his threat level. He reached down and he retrieved his cell phone and he looked at in curiously.

'So Batman is probably tracking me by my phone…that is the only way he could have found out my identity and my location….clever, but not clever enough' he thought holding his hand with the phone out of the window, but before he could drop it the phone began to ring. Curious as to whom it was he answered the call.

"Carter" came the voice of one Dana Tan.

Terminal's eyes widen at the voice.

"Dana"

"Hey how are you"

"A little bit better now that you called" he replied smoothly.

"Well that's…good, listen uh…I was wondering would you like to get together"

"Together" he repeated.

"Yeah, I mean I was about to head out to lunch and I was thinking maybe you could join me…and we could you know talk"

"Like a Date" he stated.

"Yeah…a date"

"Dana that sound great" he replied

"Great meet me at the university and we can drive from there" she replied

"I'll be there in 30 minutes"

"I'll see you then" Dana said before ending the call.

Terminal smirked at the thought of meeting Dana and once the call ended he tossed his phone out of the window were it fell to the ground below.

* * *

**End Chapter: READ AND REVIEW: ** **WHOOOOOO man finished, I did it…two updates at the same time. Hello Readers this is me with the closing comments again. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I did writing it. Well Ladies and Gents, my loyal readers I can honestly say there are three chapters left in the story. With this chapter the stage has been set for a three way battle. Batman, Barbara vs. JOkerz & Knightbreed, Damian, Detective Bullock vs. Kobra, and finally Bruce vs. Powers &INque. Each of the remaining three chapters will focus on the specific battle and probably have a lead in to the next chapter culminating in the conclusion of this story. Well loyal readers I don't have much more to say other than I hope you enjoyed the chapter….REVIEW(Motivation) and if you have any questions, comments, or rants just send it to me in the review or send me a PM message and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying Later…**

**Ps: Uh…regular updates apply next is TSA followed by another installment of Batman and then Secret Warrior…..I'll try to get everything out as fast as I can so keep checking….this is me saying Later…**

**Next Up: BATTLE ROYAL!**


	23. BATTLE ROYALE!

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN these CHARACTERS! I repeat I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS! So now that I've said that I feel I should tell you who the true owners, they are DC! DC is the owner they own everything. NO Money is being made off of this story and no money is being exchanged or handed to me so Please DO NOT SUE ME! Again I ask Please DO NOT SUE! Okay now that that is out of the way onto the story…**

**Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back with another chapters in the Batman Beyond mythos. The chapters are ticking away, this is the first in the last 3 chapters, so I'm not gonna do much more talking. All that's left to say is READ, REVIEW (A writer's fuel) and of course enjoy….**

**Chapter 23: BATTLE ROYALE!**

* * *

**Hospital **

"GAH!" gasped Barbara Gordon as her eyes snapped open; she quickly shot up in her bed breathing heavily.

"Easy….Easy" came a voice from her bedside. She turned to the right in time to see the light shimmer and Batman appear before her. Upon seeing him she immediately began to relax and breathe just a bit easier.

"Jesus" she whispered to herself while putting a hand to her head, the memories flooding back to her "My team….the scientists…are they alright" she asked turning to him.

"Yeah I got there in the nick of time and I administered the antidote, luckily there were no deaths" he replied.

"Thank God" she whispered laying back down, "The Jokerz?"

"Gone, but I'll find them"

"I can't believe how out of practice I've become…..I can't believe I led my team into that trap" she said chiding herself for her rookie mistake. She had been dealing with the likes of the Jokerz for decades and she couldn't believe she let something like this happen. She almost got herself, her team, and the scientist killed.

"Hey don't beat yourself up, they wouldn't have known you were coming if it wasn't for me" said Batman rubbing the back of his neck, "Bruce told you the whole situation with Kidnapping"

"Yeah I got the cliff notes" she replied

"Well I got the drop on the Jokerz who had the girl but they were able to get a call off, they must've called Carter…I mean Terminal which alerted him that we were onto him" he said.

"Maybe or he could've had people scouting out the area and saw us coming. Look it's over…no use dwelling in the past. I just thank God no one was killed by the gas"

"Where the heck did they get the recipe from?" asked Batman

"The Library" Barbara suddenly said "Earlier there was a report on my desk about a Librarian that was killed in the way that screams Joker…..must've broken into the library at night and looked it up on the net" she deduced.

"How can something like that be up?" he asked.

"One of the drawbacks of the net kid…..free information about any and everything. A person can look up how to make a bomb…you should've been here in the old days it was a mad house and the net has only grown since then though, we've been lucky there hasn't been anything like this in a while" she replied.

"I guess our luck just ran out?"

"Damn straight" she said sitting up in her bed a little bit more.

"Something is about to happen" stated Batman folding his arms across his chest "The Jokerz have the gas and they probably know where the Knightbreed is held up…I'm thinking that….."

"There's going to be an attack soon" Barbara finished "Great…just what we need…a gang war" she replied.

"I've found a way to track Terminal and I'm gonna track him down and bring him in" he said turning and heading for the open window.

"And I'll put out an APB for Carter Wilson; he won't be able to….." She started before the door was thrown open and in rushed her husband Sam Young. Barbara looked at him and then at the window but Batman was gone.

"Barbara are you alright?" Sam asked rushing towards her and crushing his lips to hers, "I came as soon as I heard" he said breathing heavily

"Sam I'm fine….nothing that I haven't dealt with before" she replied trying to calm him down.

"GET HIM TO THE ER STAT!" shouted a Doctor rushing past Barbara's door.

* * *

**Hallway**

The doctors had a patient on a gurney and were rushing him down the hallway towards an emergency room.

The gurney burst through the double doors where a surgeon was already prepared and ready to go.

"What do we got?" he asked.

"Male, age 20, name is Evan Sinclaire. Knife wound to the back and has a badly nicked artery" said the nurse reading his chart off to the door.

While the doctors were talking over him Evan was drifting in and out of coherent consciousness, he could semi-see and hear what was going on but for the most part all he saw was moving lips and no sound. Suddenly though he saw an image of Brian standing over him with a panicked expression over his face.

"Bri…." Evan tried to say before his vision swam and he knew nothing but darkness.

* * *

**Jokerz Hideout**

Terminal kicked opened the door to an old and inconspicuous warehouse deep in the eastside of Gotham. He walked into the warehouse and he was followed by Ghoul, Bonk and the rest of his Jokerz entourage, they each were carrying the canisters filled with the Joker venom from the chemical plant.

They stormed through the bottom floor of the warehouse passing by joker theme motorcycles and other vehicles they used for transportation. Terminal led them all towards a lift that would take them to the top floor; they boarded the lift and rode it to the top.

* * *

**Top Floor**

**BUMP! **Went the sound of the lift arriving at the top floor, where the rest of his Jokerz gang were supposed to be lounging about but to his shock he saw them all bandaged up and had pained looks across their faces.

"What the hell happened?" he asked. Everyone jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face him, "ANSWER ME!….What the hell happened?"

Scab limped forward towards him and came to a stop before him, Terminal looked him up and down wondering where he got all of his bruises and blood stains.

"We went out for some fun" Scab answered averting his eyes away from Terminals. Terminal set the containers under his arm down on the ground and he stepped a little closer to Scab until they were both eye to eye.

"You….went out for some fun. When I specifically said to lay low is this what you're saying"

"YEAH IT IS!" Scab responded turning his eyes back to meet Terminal's

The two stared at each other for a long second before Terminal lashed out with a head butt hitting Scab in the nose. Terminal then grabbed him kneed him in the stomach, hard, making him double over in pain. He then grabbed his head yanked it up.

"Scab you had one job…to lie low and wait for my return and you couldn't even do that so tell me why should I keep you alive" Terminal growled grabbing him by the throat and gripping it tightly.

"I…..h-had to... d-do something….Some guy was going around hitting out spots…..asking for T-Terminal" Scab gasped out.

"It's TRUE!" a Joker shouted stepping forward, "This guy burst into our place and starts killing Jokerz asking for you…I barely escaped and I came back here and got Scab. We went out looking for him and we found him, we almost did him in but the cops got the drop on us"

Terminal eyed him and then at Scab was turning purple in the face slightly, he released him and Scab fell to the ground gasping for air.

"What did he look like?" he asked eyeing the other joker.

"He….He was about your age and height but he was black and had short hair and this deranged look in his eyes"

Terminal listened to the description and he smirked to himself and then began to laugh and laugh loudly, everyone looked at him with curious eyes trying to figure out just what he was laughing about, but as quickly as he started to laugh he stopped and composed himself.

Scab rubbing his neck looked up from his spot on the ground at Terminal.

"You…..You mind filling us in on what's so funny?" he asked, "You know that guy"

"Did he follow you back to this place?" Terminal asked.

"No"

"Then it doesn't matter. He is of no consequence to us anymore. All that matters is my plan for us to take over this city and we've just acquired the final piece" he said looking up at the Jokerz gathered. Terminal reached down and picked up one of the canisters of Joker venom and held it up.

"I present to you the original Joker's famous Joker Venom, guaranteed to brighten anyone's day with one a single sniff" he said with a smile on his face.

A few murmurs broke out but they were quickly silenced as Scab stood to his feet.

"So the Fuck what…you still haven't told us this plan of your Fearless leader and I for one am getting tired of all this waiting around" he said

Terminal ignored him and placed the canister back on the ground.

"Ghoul" he called out.

"Yeah" Ghoul answered stepping forward.

"Explain the plan to them" he said turning away from Scab and heading for the lift "When I get back I expect everything to be ready to go…is that understood"

"I gotcha" Ghoul replied nodding his head.

"Hey….HEY Where are you going?" asked Scab.

"Out" he stated before pulling on the lever and riding the lift down.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's- Knightbreed Throne Room **

Huntress sat on the ground clutching her dying sister tightly, she wanted to cry but she had built so many walls around her emotions and buried them so deep that she couldn't no matter how hard she tried. She reached for the knife that was plunged into Misfit's chest and yanked it out.

"ARGH!" Misfit yelled at the sudden action.

"Charlotte…sister….what happened, who has betrayed us?" she asked.

"D-D-Dagger….has…betrayed the Brotherhood. H-He has told our enemies…the…J-Jokerz…where we are" she said despite the fact that it was hard for her to talk, blood was leaking profusely from her chest. The Huntress put her hands on the wound trying to keep pressure but both women knew this was…..the end.

"Charlotte" she said whispered.

Misfit stared up at her.

"Don't be afraid"

"I-I-I not…..I-I-I'm…..relieved" she said with a smile on her face. Huntress stared at her with a sad smile on her face.

"Go Home Charlotte….I'll be joining you soon"

Misfit smiled but as she smiled her breath started to get more erratic….she started to convulse and gasp for air until she took one final breath and then released it and on the release Charlotte Gage-Radcliff aka Misfit died. The Huntress raised her hand and gently closed the eyes of her dead sister.

Suddenly Misfit began to glow and brilliant pink color, Huntress had to shield her eyes slightly because she was glowing so brightly, she then felt Charlotte shake slightly before levitating a few inches off the ground. Helena could do nothing but watch as her sister began to disintegrate before her eyes. Her body broke apart piece by piece and disappeared in small flashes of pink, it was only a few seconds before Charlotte completely disappeared leaving the Huntress standing in her throne room alone staring at the spot her dead sister once occupied.

"Char….." she started but then stopped, she knew she was gone.

Huntress balled up her fist in anger, red hot anger burned through her veins, her eye twitched in fury. Her anger stemmed from the fact that her sister was dead but more importantly of all the things to spark her anger it was betrayal. She had been betrayed before by a woman that she called sister and that pain was unlike anything she had ever felt and she vowed to herself that she would never feel its sting again but as fate would have it…..betrayal has struck again and it has hit her deep…again, and it would not go unpunished.

"VANQUISH!" she yelled.

"Yes my Mistress" he said appearing behind her.

"Did you hear all of that?"

"I did your mistress….I only await your orders" he replied.

"I want you to find him…and bring him to me…..don't' kill him, that honor goes to me, have I made myself clear" she said glancing over her shoulder.

"Yes My Mistress…it shall be done" he replied disappearing and leaving her alone in her throne room.

She stood still for a long moment but her resolved strengthened once again and she pushed passed her grief and steeled her eyes.

"We must prepare for an attack. No doubt the Jokerz will attack when we least expect" she said to herself walking towards the exit.

* * *

**Across Town: Milwood house**

A tired and blood covered Brian carefully looked around to see if anyone was following him or if anyone could see him. Thank-fully no one was outside, so he quickly dashed across the street and to his house, the door swished opened and he stepped inside.

* * *

**Inside**

The First thing Brian saw on the inside was the yellow police tape everywhere.

"Max" Brian whispered realizing that she must've called the police once he had left her on the kitchen floor. He ventured towards the kitchen to see a white chalk outline but the body of his mother was gone, most likely on ice at the city Morgue.

Brian balled up his fist and he hit the side of a cabinet, but the anger that welled up within him quickly dissipated he had to stay focused, he turned away from the outline and made his way to his room.

After Evan was stabbed by Misfit and his subsequent stab that killed her he had frantically called 911, luckily they reached Evan's apartment in time to load him up and take him to the hospital, he wanted to go with him and make sure he was alright he had to stay focused on his goal which was finding his sister. He needed several things from his house though before he could go anywhere else, his clothes were dirty and bloody so he needed to change them and he needed to get his Knightbreed costume and he need to do it quick. When Misfit disappeared he assumed that she went back to the Huntress she was probably following them and was reporting so that means the Huntress probably knew about his betrayal he would need his costume because it had all of his weapons on them because no doubt she would send people after him but he could care less he could take care of himself.

Brian reached his room and quickly went to his closet and removed a false section and grabbed his Knightbreed costume. He groaned slightly at the sudden movement he was in some pain but he knew he couldn't stop. Brian grabbed a book-bag from out of his closet and stuffed his costume inside, but as he was doing that he suddenly stopped and his mind drifted to his sister and what was happening to her.

"She must be scared out of her mind" he said out loud, he was taken back to the fight at Evan's house. When he told Terminal the address to the Knightbreed's location he was praying that Terminal would keep his word and give him his sister back but Misfit interrupted the call, ruining his chance. He was about to lose hope when he remember that Terminal called him so he thought that maybe there might be a way to trace the call somehow.

"I'll try the phone company" he said to himself as he doubled his efforts to gather the items that he needed.

Brian quickly zipped up the bag and swung it over his back, he let out another groan but he pushed through it, he made his way out of his room, but on his way out his leg buckled and he had to support himself against the wall for a moment. His injuries were starting to get to him he could only push past so much and he had been exerting himself past his limits all morning and he needed to rest. He grinded his teeth and took another step but that's when he collapsed to the ground.

"Co-urt-ney" he struggled to say as his vision began to swim and he passed out.

* * *

**Downtown Gotham**

Batman in camouflage mode silently landed on the ground of the busy Gotham Street. He looked around and had to smirk to himself because no one could see him and he found that to be extremely….schway.

'_I love this suit'_ he thought to himself for a moment until he switched back into being serious. Once he left Commissioner Gordon he immediately resumed his search for Carter Wilson aka Terminal hoping to bring him in before he could cause anymore trouble. Bruce was still tracking him through his cell phone and he sent the signal through to the batmobile so it was no trouble for him to follow the signal.

Batman looked around the densely populated street hoping to catch a glimpse of his target. The lenses on Batman's eyes switched to blue again signaling the suit was in Detective Mode again.

All of the people on street suddenly disappeared and the only thing that remained was moving purple dots.

"Whoa….what am I seeing" he said as quietly as he could.

'_Cell phone signals, I did a quick adjustment to the detective mode…hold on. The red dot is Carter Phone' _

A red dot appeared among the purple dots and Batman smirked to himself.

'_Got you'_ he thought while quickly making his way towards the moving red dot. Batman weaved through the purple dots and he reached out for the red one.

"McGinnis" came Bruce's voice.

Batman grabbed the dot and his vision returned to normal but standing in front of him wasn't Terminal but a homeless man with a wide eyed expression on his face.

'That's not Terminal' said Bruce.

"You Think" Batman replied letting the homeless man go, he stumbled back before turning and running away. Batman looked at the cell phone in his hand and he let out a frustrated sigh.

"He must've found out we were tracking him"

'_He's smart…he got rid of the phone' _said Bruce_. _

"He's not that smart" Batman replied quickly "So what now?"

"Return to the Cave, with the Joker Venom out there you'll need more of the anti-Venom. I'm preparing more of it now, and I need to equip the batmobile with it" said Bruce.

"No, I have something else I need to take care of but I'll send the Batmobile back" he replied.

"What do you have to take care of?"

"Some social matters alright….Batman out" he stated cutting the conversation.

Batman looked around for an alley and when he spotted one he wasted no time in running towards it, he spread his arms activating his wings; he then curled his feet making his rockets roar to life and carry him into the sky.

* * *

**Hamilton University**

'_Okay Dana just relax….be cool and calm…be yourself and try not to think about the fact that Carter is probably a member of those crazy Jokerz'_ Dana thought to herself for what felt like the 100th time. She let out a sigh and looked at the sky wondering to herself just how the heck she ended up in this situation. She actually thought that he was a nice guy but it turns out he wasn't exactly who she thought he was, _'I always attract the wrong guy' _she thought to herself 'Wait….that's not completely true…..Terry wasn't….' she started before someone caught her eye.

Dana was leaning against a wall on the outside of the University she could see everyone that was passing the school or going in and out, she was patiently awaiting for Carter to arrive so they could go out on a 'date'….at least that's what he thought.

She released another sigh as she looked down the street and saw Carter walking her way. Just the sight of him made her anxiety level rise, if he was part of the Jokerz that means he was very very dangerous, but she had to be tough, she had to be brave because there was a life hanging in the balance. So she straightened up and put a smile on her face as he came to stand in front of her.

"Hey"

"Hi" she replied.

"I have to say that this is a long overdue date number 2" he said with a smile gracing his lips.

"To be fair I never guaranteed you another date so you better count yourself lucky" she replied folding her arms across her chest.

"I must be if I'm out with you Dana" he said grabbing her hand and kissing it. Dana giggled but it was fake, she quickly took her hand back and hooked her arm and around his right arm.

"Come on, I found this new place that we can have lunch at" she said.

"Lead the way" he replied.

Dana smiled and began to lead him away.

* * *

**Minutes later**

Dana and Carter were walked down an isolated path; Dana had suggested that they cut through the University Park in order to get to the restaurant and Carter had agreed not knowing that Dana was leading him somewhere secluded. Carter was unsuspecting because while they were walking Dana was pouring on the charm making sure to keep him relaxed and so far it was working. She faked laughed at one of his jokes before she heard a sound that sounded like a bird.

'That's the signal' Dana thought to herself, she looked ahead of her and saw a bush, she and Carter walked passed the bush and then she suddenly stopped, she then turned to Carter and smiled at him.

"What?" he asked.

Dana swallowed hard and then grabbed him and kissed him. Carter was caught off guard slightly but he soon got into the kiss.

Max poked her head out of the bush and at Dana who was kissing Carter; she gripped the wooden bat in her hand tightly and made her way out of the bush and towards the two.

Dana cracked open her eyes just as Max raised the bat; she broke the kiss and pushed Carter away.

"DAN….." he started.

"RAH!" shouted Max bringing the bat down on his back as hard.

"ARGH!" Carter yelled in pain. He fell down to the ground where Max hit him in the leg with the bat earning another howl of pain. She was about to bring the bat down on him again when Dana stopped her.

"MAX STOP!" she shouted grabbing her by the shoulder. Max halted her assaulted and let out a few heavy breaths of air. She walked towards Carter's face and she leaned down.

Carter was sucking in a few breaths trying to stop his pain, he turned his head towards Max and both stared at each other with hate in their eyes.

"Bitch" he growled.

Max placed her bat next to his head.

"Call me that again" she said in a threatening tone. Carter stared at her for a second before he let a smile grace his lips and then a slight chuckle.

"You think I'm funny…you think this situation is funny" Max growled.

"Yes, because you're making a big mistake" he replied.

Max growled to herself and was about to say something but she was interrupted by Dana.

"Are you with the JOkerz Carter?" she asked. He turned to her and he saw the wide eyed expression on her face and then he saw Max's expression.

"Dana…..no I'm not with…..ARGH!" he started before shoved the bat into his side.

"LIAR!" she roared, "You are with those bastards don't try to lie we know all about it"

He looked at Max and then back at Dana and he could see a slight apprehension in her eyes.

'Gotcha' he thought to himself.

He turned to her and he put on the best sincere expression on his face.

"Dana…please I'm not with the Jokerz"

"Why were you following us….or me, Terry told me how you were following us that day and…."

"And how you over heard something you shouldn't have" Max finished glaring at him.

"Da…" he started while trying to sit up but Max jammed the bat into his chest keeping him down.

"Stay down" she stated.

"Okay…..you got me. I was following you Dana but it was only because I like you a lot and I was trying to catch you alone so I could ask you out again. I only followed you guys to the entrance and I waited outside for you to come out and then I started to follow you again but that's when Terry caught me…..I swear"

"That's Creepy Carter" Dana said folding her arms across her chest.

"I know it is but I've never felt like this before and…"

"SPARE ME!" shouted Max rolling her eyes, "That Sensitive Crap isn't going to work you are a liar. You followed us, you heard us, and you decided you wanted to tell your little Joker friends….you're a sick bastard Carter you know that. You got 3 seconds to tell where Terminal and the other Jokerz are and where they are keeping Brian's sister"

"Max….I don't know….."

"STOP LYING!" she shouted kicking him in the face drawing some blood from him.

"MAX!" shouted Dana grabbing her by the shoulder and turning her around "STOP IT! What if we're wrong" she said.

"Dana wake up he's playing you…..think about it, the pieces fit this bastard knows more than what he's letting on"

While Dana and Max were talking Carter was planning on what to do in his mind, he looked at the two females and a small smile formed along his lips.

"OKAY!" he shouted startling the both of them, "Okay I'll tell you were Terminal is" he said holding his head down.

"See I told you" Max said turning back to Carter, "Where is he?"

"…r….here" Carter mumbled with his head held down. Max leaned down to him and she nudged him with her bat.

"What?"

"I said…..RIGHT HERE!" he shouted before spitting the blood in his mouth in her eyes blinding her for a second.

"GAH!" shouted Max.

Carter brought his throbbing leg over and swept her feet from under her making her hit the ground and drop the bat. Max quickly cleared her eyes and recovered enough to lunge for the bat just as Carter did the same thing. The two rolled across the ground for a second struggling with bat until Max was able to knock it away.

Carter growled and rolled over on top of her and punched her in the face two times with the last blow knocking her out. He looked up to see Dana with the bat in her hands looking at him. He stood up and walked towards her, she reared the bat back and swung with all of her might, but Carter caught the bat in his hands and then yanked it from her.

"Oh Dana, I'm so disappointed" he said before hitting her in the temple with the butt of bat knocking her out.

Carter looked at the unconscious women and he let out a chuckle.

"Well, this is a strange turn of events" he said to himself, just as Dana's phone began to ring. Carter bent down and rummaged through her purse until he retrieved her phone, he studied the number and the name attached to it.

"Terry"

* * *

**Gibson House**

"Come on Dana, pick up" said Terry hurriedly.

"Hi this is Dana and you've reached my phone you know what to do" came the voice mail followed by a beep.

"Goddamn it" he cursed hanging up his phone.

After just missing Terminal Terry rushed back to Max's house to tell Dana about Carter and how she needed to stay away from him but upon his return he found the Gibson house empty. He tried to call Max but he remembered that her phone was probably with Brian so that's when he decided to call Dana but she wasn't answering.

"Where the hell did they go?" he asked himself, he turned and accidentally bumped into Max's desk and the sudden motion made her Computer turn off of idle mode. Terry turned to the bright screen and he looked at what was on it, a map of Gotham City and there was a blinking dot. Terry looked at the screen at the address displayed where the dot was blinking; he saw that it was Max's address being displayed. Terry stared at the screen for a second before the gears in his mind began to turn. He stood up and began to move about the room and to his surprise the blinking dot moved as well.

"SON OF A BITCH! MAX!" shouted Terry in realization, "Damn her curiosity….she must've hacked the phone network and was following me all day. Oh No…she must've seen when I went to Carter's house…but….Dammit. I told Dana about Carter Following her….FUCK!" he shouted pulling out his phone and dialing Dana's number again.

"COME ON!"

"Hi this is Dana and you've reached my phone you know what to….."

Terry ended the call and balled up his fist. He started running for the door all the while dialing another number.

"What is it McGinnis?" asked Bruce.

"I need you to trace another phone for me"

* * *

**NGCPD**

Commissioner Gordon walked into the precinct with one goal on her mind, she made her way up the steps and she grabbed the first officer she spotted.

"Commissioner!"

"Listen to me I want you to put out an APB on a suspect named Carter Wilson aka Terminal the current leader of the Jokerz Gang. Alert all the other precinct in the city this is top priority do you understand. Also tell every officer that it's mandatory for them to have their gas mask on whenever dealing with the Jokerz am I clear?"

"Yes Ma'am" the officer replied before rushing off.

"COMMISSIONER!" a voice shouted.

Barbara turned to the voice to see a woman rushing towards her.

"Yes Lieutenant" she replied

"Ma'am you're not going to believe this but Batman dropped by…."

"And he dropped off a little girl, where is she"

"….Interview Room 4, we've already called her next of kin which is her Aunt who is on the way to the precinct now. Wait you talked to Batman?" she asked.

"Something like that" Barbara replied passing by the Lieutenant and heading to the interview room.

* * *

**Hamilton University**

Batman landed on a patch of grass and he looked around, he saw a bat, a purse and a phone on the ground. He walked towards the phone and he picked it up instantly recognizing it as Dana's.

"No" he whispered to himself.

'_Look down'_ came Bruce's voice over the line.

Batman looked down and he saw some blood on the ground next to the purse.

'_Bend down and touch it' _

Knowing better than to ask questions Batman bent down and touched the blood, his vision suddenly flashed and the blood appeared on the screen along with a photo of Carter Wilson

'_He was definitely here so your hunch was correct' said Bruce. _

"GODDAMMIT! He ditched the phone so there is no way to track him"

'_McGinnis Calm Down' _

"DON"T TELL ME TO CALL DOWN MAX AND DANA ARE WITH THAT MURDERING PSYCHO! AND I'VE GOT NO WAY TO FIND HIM!" Batman roared back "I just hope they aren't dead"

"_They're not" Bruce replied calmly_

"And how do you know?" Batman snapped.

"_Because if he wanted to kill them they he would've done it and left their bodies their but he didn't. He kidnapped them which means he wants them alive for something" _

"For what though?"

"…"

"I asked for what?"

"_I'm thinking McGinnis….return to the cave….Now"_ Bruce said ending the call.

Batman let out a sigh and he spread his wings, curled his feet and rocketed in the air with the intentions of returning to the Bat-Cave.

* * *

**Bat-Cave- 20 Minutes Later**

Batman touched down on the cave floor and he reached up and yanked his mask off to reveal the face of Terry McGinnis. He briskly walked along the skinny walkway and towards the Bat-Computer where his mentor Bruce Wayne was supposed to be sitting but to his surprise he wasn't sitting there like usual.

"HEY!" he shouted.

**THUD! **

Terry turned around to see a mechanical Batman standing behind him, the costume was similar to his all black with a red bat symbol on the chest but the difference was that it was a bit bulkier, taller and it was mechanized.

The mecha-Batman lunged at him with an over head strike that Terry saw coming, he ducked and he swiftly rolled out of the way. The mecha-Batman swung its arm and again Terry ducked, he jumped and kicked it in the chest but the mecha-Batman barely registered the attack. He looked down at Terry and raised its hand but as he raised it he collapsed to a knee.

Terry stared in shock as the head receded into the suit and the face of Bruce Wayne was revealed.

"WHAT THE HELL OLD MAN!" Terry shouted running towards him. Bruce was sweating and breathing heavily, one of his hand went to his chest.

"M-M-Y…..M-Medi-cine" he struggled to get out, he pointed toward the Bat-Computer and Terry wasted no time in running over towards the computer. He looked around until he spotted the bottle of medicine laying the chair. He grabbed it and opened it and brought two pills over to Bruce who quickly swallowed them. It was a tense few seconds but his breathing began to even out and he was able to stand up.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Terry helping him over to the chair where he sat down.

"…..nothing" Bruce replied still visibly weak.

"Sure as hell doesn't look like nothing" Terry replied staring at the bat-suit he was wearing "What kind of bat-suit is this? And when did you make it?"

"None of that is important" Bruce replied leaning back in his chair, he took a few more deep breathes and then he looked at Terry who had a look of confusion on his face, "I think I know why Terminal kidnapped your friends"

At the mention of his kidnapped friends Terry's expressions changed.

"Why?" he asked seriously.

"Because this is personal for him" Bruce replied with a contemplative look on his face.

"You mean because of Dana"

"Yes, you said he was following her meaning that he has probably formed some type of obsession with her so he isn't going to kill her, if anything he'll try make her see things his way"

"And if he can't?"

"Well then he'll kill her, but before he does that I think you would have to be there" said Bruce

"Me…why"

"I've run across people like Terminal before, if he can't have his way he'll hurt you first and then kill you. If he can't convert Dana he'll hurt her first…emotionally and what better way to do that then to kill the person she has feelings for"

"Me" Terry finished with a steely look in his eyes, "…Are you sure though…how can you be sure of something like this?"

"Experience" Bruce stated, while linking his hands together.

"So that means she's safe….for now. What about Max?"

"I don't know" Bruce replied. "Wait…have you located Brian yet?" he asked.

"No, but if I know him or at least the mind set he's in right now, he's still out there trying to track down every Joker for Terminal's location" Terry replied.

"Then perhaps she isn't dead either. Maybe being held as a bargaining chip on the off chance that Brian does find him, but I can't be certain"

Terry slammed his fist down on the edge of the computer in frustration; he pushed off the edge and began to pace impatiently.

"When I get my hands on him I'll….I'll…" He growled in anger.

"You'll what. Kill him?" asked Bruce eying his protégé with a curious look.

Terry stopped his pacing and he turned towards his mentor and stared him in the eyes.

"Would it be so bad if I did, I mean come on look at all of the death and destruction he has single-handedly caused. Give me a reason why I shouldn't?"

"How about because **You** are not him" Bruce said "Terry, I know what you're feeling right now. That hate, but you can't let that consume you because if you do you'll find yourself going down a path that you can never return from"

"But allowing him to live is only going to get more people hurt or killed. I should just end it; it'll do Gotham some good not to have him around."

"If you do kill him, where does it end?" asked Bruce seriously "Say you kill him but then another Joker just like him takes up the mantle do you kill him too and do you kill the one after him as well. By that logic you'll soon find yourself on a slippery slope to becoming what you're trying to fight, you can't do good by doing evil Terry."

"Cops kill all the time while doing their job are they evil, no"

"But killing isn't their main job though Terry, their job is to uphold the Law. Keep order in society, to serve and protect and unfortunately that sometimes involves killing but you are not a cop. You are something else"

"A vigilante" he replied folding his arms across his chest.

"A Symbol" Bruce corrected, he stood up from his seat and made his way over to his young protégé until he was standing front of him, "Batman…. is an incorruptible symbol of Justice, the living embodiment of an ideal that has eluded society for so long that the people have become apathetic, jaded and now finally complacent. They feel that the injustice and evil that runs rampant is something that you have to live with and take on the chin but Terry that is far….far from the truth. Batman is the symbol that beats back the shadows of evil and seeks to inspire good, but Terry you must remember something, an important fact…probably the most important fact about being Batman and it is this: while you do use the darkness and shadows to your advantage, you don't lose yourself in it; we use these elements on criminals but we don't let it control us. I'll be the first to tell you that everyday is a battle, you'll come across so much that it will bring you to your limits but you can't give in to your most basic urge which is to kill, you have to rise above that and you do that by remembering that this symbol….."

Bruce raised his hand and he touched the Bat-symbol on Terry's chest

"Stands for something greater than yourself, it stands for something that can never be tainted or corrupted. It stands for good"

Terry looked down at the bat-symbol on his chest and then back up at Bruce. He was still angry, but hearing Bruce's words about what Batman stands for calmed him down somewhat or at least to the point where he was thinking more clearly. He let out a sigh and he nodded his head.

"Am I interrupting" came a voice.

Bruce and Terry turned to see Yinn standing a few feet away with a tray in his hands.

"I made some green tea, would you care for some?" he asked looking at the both of them.

"Yeah, I'll take some of that" said Terry. Yinn walked over and Terry grabbed one of the cups and he took a sip.

"So what do I do now Bruce" he asked looking at him again.

"Only thing you can do…..you wait"

* * *

**Later: 6:30 pm**

Slowly the brown eyes of Dana Tan opened and came into focus.

"Ugh my head" she groaned to herself

"Nice of you to join us" came Max's voice from behind Dana. Dana lifted her head up and turned and out of the corner of her eye she could see Max but it was then that she also noticed that they were tied up together.

"What's going on?" she asked frantically looking around. Dana saw that they were in building that was still under construction. She could see the metal support beams, wooden planks and other assorted construction equipment lying around.

"We've been kidnapped by your fatal attraction over there" Max replied calmly, her eyes trained on Terminal's back.

Dana looked to the right to see Terminal facing away from them. He was standing in front of a large window that had a perfect view of downtown Gotham.

"HEY! CARTER LET US GO!" Dana shouted at him but her shouts went unheard as Terminal stood still and continued to stare out of the window.

"Don't bother I already tried that" said Max releasing a sigh"He hasn't said anything, he just stares out of that damn window"

* * *

Terminal sucked in a breath and then he released it, he put a smirk on his lips and he turned to face the two women. Dana looked at him and she gasped slightly.

"Carter" he said while slowly walking over towards them "That name holds relatively no meaning for me any more, it was a façade used to blend into a society that has spiraled widely out of control"

"You're the only one that's out of control Carter" Max spat.

Terminal hand shot out and grabbed her by the face hard and squeezed slightly.

"Call me Carter again" he growled threateningly.

"LET HER GO!" shouted Dana, "She's right you're the one that out of control. Creating Chaos, killing people and kidnapping them"

Terminal turned to her and with his free hand he caressed her face ever so gently.

"So beautiful and so naïve. You think the way things are right now is the way society should be but you couldn't be further from the truth. Look at them down there…"

Terminal released both of them and briskly walked back towards the window and slammed both hands on the glass.

"Look at them…..sheep being herded to slaughter known as modern life. A monotonous and disgusting existence that is forced upon us from the moment we're born by those that put themselves into position of power and say this is how you're supposed to live. And we…the sheep nod our heads and go along with the current because we're afraid of what happens when we rock the boat so to speak. Well not me, my eyes have been opened and they have been opened for a long time. The original Joker had it right the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules because without rules everyone is equal. There is no rich, there is no poor…there is only…."

"Anarchy" Max interrupted.

"Those with the will to survive" Terminal finished whipping around to face them again "The will to rise above what society has dictated them to be…the class system in this world means nothing in Chaos, only the strong will rise to the top, only the strongest will survive. Do you understand?"

"What you're doing is evil Carter" Dana replied staring up at him.

"That's because you are still clinging to old ways. Once I free you and everyone from the confines of their ridiculous lives you'll understand, and you'll understand even more in the new society that I and the other Jokerz will create from the ashes of the old, you'll see…" he said

"The only thing I see…..is fucking lunatic" said Max staring at him.

Terminal smirked and he walked away for a second and towards a table that had a bottle and a napkin on it. He grabbed both items and walked over to Max and Dana again. He poured the liquid from out of the bottle and onto the napkin and then pressed it on Max's face. She struggled for a second until her eyes rolled back and she passed out, he removed the napkin and he did the same thing to Dana and she too passed out. Terminal stared down at her for a second with a soft expression and then he looked at Max and his face scrunched up in disgust.

He held up his arm and looked at his watch.

"Time to make history" he whispered to himself tossing the bottle and napkin to the ground and make his way out building.

* * *

**Milwood House- 7:00 pm**

Brian was in the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. He had definitely seen better days, he himself could see the stressed out look in his eyes as well as the haggard and tired look expression but he knew he had to fight through it for his sister's sake. He had passed out a few hours ago due to his injuries and as soon as he awoke he noticed that it was nighttime outside which meant that he would be able to move around more freely but not as Brian Milwood but as Dagger. He took a deep and he placed the face mask on the lower half of his face and he exited the bathroom with the intentions of resuming his search for his sister and Terminal.

Dagger walked towards his door but just as he was about to touch the pad the doors swished opened on its own and standing at the door was his sister and his Aunt Angela.

"AHHHHHHHH!" his Aunt screamed at the top of her lungs. She bent down and grabbed Courtney's arm and took a few steps back.

"WAIT AUNT ANGELA IT'S ME!" he shouted pulling down on his face mask and revealing his face to them.

"BRIAN!" they both yelled at the same time. Courtney yanked her arm free and ran to her older brother and hugged him with all of her might.

"OH MY GOD I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" the brother and sister said at the same time.

"How did you escape?" he asked frantically looking at her.

"Batman rescued me" she replied with tears in her eyes.

"Batman" He repeated.

"FREEZE RIGHT THERE!"

Brian and Courtney turned to see two officers with their weapons trained upon him, they were Courtney and Angela's police escort.

"Hold on I'm not going to…" he started

"HANDS IN THE AIR KNIGHTBREED!" one of the officers interrupted.

"STOP HE'S MY NEPHEW!" his Aunt Angela said standing in front of the officers.

Suddenly three arrows rained down and hit their marks, two of the arrows hit the officers in the back and the last one hit Brian's Aunt in the arm and all three went down screaming in agony.

**THUD!**

Vanquish landed on the grass in front of Brian's lawn and he eyed him with hate in his eyes and he wasted no time in dashing towards his target.

"COURTNEY GET INSIDE NOW!" shouted Brian grabbing and yanking his sister into the house. He pulled his mask back up and prepared for the fight of his life.

Vanquish reached him and threw out a strong punch, Dagger ducked and speared him across the waist and sent both of them down to the ground. Dagger quickly rolled off of Vanquish and got to his feet. Vanquish flipped up and whipped around firing an arrow from his crossbow. Dagger had just enough time to side step the arrow but the sudden jerk motion alerted him to his injuries and he let out a groan of pain. Vanquish saw the momentary distraction and charged forward with a hard punch that nailed Dagger in the jaw rattling him. Vanquish delivered another punch followed by and elbow. Dagger took the blows and gritted his teeth, he squatted down and tried a sweep but Vanquish lifted his foot and then hopped up and delivered a knee to his chin knocking him back and to the ground.

"Ugh…." He groaned turning over on his stomach and trying to crawl away. Vanquish looked down at him and slowly stalked towards him.

"You have betrayed us Dagger as I always knew that you would" Vanquish stated kicking him in the side earning another groan of pain, "You have gone against the brotherhood that took you in" he said kicking him again "We took you in and gave you the means to fight the ones that have caused you pain and this…is how you repay us" he said in a low voice kicking Dagger again.

"For that you must Die" Vanquish growled raising his hand and aiming his crossbow at the back of Dagger's head.

**POW! POW! POW! **

Vanquish calmly turned around to see Dagger's Aunt holding the gun in her hands, she was shaking because of the arrow sticking out of her arm and because of it she completely missed her target. Vanquish held up his arm towards her and was about to fire but Dagger turned over and stabbed him in the leg with a knife.

"AGH!" his opponent shouted turning and trying to shoot him but Dagger lifted his foot and kicked his arm off center causing the arrow to miss him and imbed itself into the ground. Dagger twisted his knife and then yanked it out of Vanquish's leg and then swept him off of his feet.

Dagger let out a few strained breaths of air and got to his feet just as Vanquish was fighting his way to his. The two combatants stared each other down waiting for the other to make his move.

**WHOOO WHOOOO WHOOO** went the sound of a police siren followed by a spotlight being shined upon them.

"THIS IS THE POLICE FREEZE!"

Upon seeing the police both Vanquish and Dagger on instinct began to flee.

* * *

_**TV. **_

"_Good Evening Neo-Gotham it's time for the nightly news. I'm Tom Monroe and with me as always is my co-host Kim Brooms. _

_Kim: Thanks Tom our top story tonight the identity of Terminal. For those of you who do not know who this person is he is the current leader of the violent Jokerz gang that has been terrorizing Neo-Gotham for years. After the arrest of Victor Tulieo Terminal assumed control and we Gothmnites have been suffering the consequences. _

_Tom: But that all ends tonight as we have inside reports of his identity. Terminal has been identified as 21 year old College Student Carter Wilson. Carter is an attendee of Hamilton University. We've tried to find some information on him but it seems all of his records have been falsified. _

_Kim: Luckily however we were able to get an interview with his Mother: Whitney Wilson. _

* * *

_**Interview**_

_Mrs. Wilson: My son is head of the Jokerz…well I guess he did amount to something. Tell the police when they see him to shoot him on sight. _

* * *

_Kim: Charming _

_Tom: With a mother like that who needs enemies _

_Kim: How right you are Tom. Wait….this just end. The police are involved in a chase with two of the KNightbreed vigilantes we take you now live with our reporter in the field: Veronica Vale _

* * *

_**Helicopter: **_

_Veronica: Thanks Kim as you can see the police are in hot pursuit of Two Knightbreed Vigilantes. They were on the street but now they have taken to the roof-tops of Neo-Gotham. The police have already issued several warring but they are none compliant we can only wonder if..._

_**POW! POW! POW! **_

"_The gun fire has started" _

* * *

**Neo-Gotham **

Dagger and Vanquish ran as fast as they could across the roof-tops of Neo-Gotham dodging the rapid gun fire of the police.

Vanquish turned and held up his crossbow getting ready to fire upon the cops.

"NO!" shouted Dagger tackling him. The two vigilantes' flew off of the roof and they sailed through the air for a long minute until they crashed through the window of an apartment.

* * *

**Apartment**

"GOOD LORD!" shouted the woman upon seeing the two crash through her window and destroy her dinning room table.

Dagger let out a groan before he elbowed Vanquish in the face before rolling away, he tried to get to his feet but a kick lashed out and caught him in the side knocking him down.

"Kill you" Vanquish growled climbing to a knee, he held up his arm trying to fire another arrow but Dagger flicked his cape stunning him for a second. He fired the arrow and the arrow ripped through the cape but it missed its target and imbedded itself into the modest TV set causing a big spark of electricity. A spark flew onto the curtain igniting the fabric and causing a fire to break out.

Dagger grabbed the glass plate that was under him and tossed it at Vanquish nailing him in the forehead and knocking him back.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Dagger shouted to the woman cowering by the refrigerator, she nodded her head and quickly ran towards the door.

The fire was beginning to spread; it ran up the curtains and towards the ceiling. There was another spark and a flash and then the carpet was set on fire.

"Holy Hell" whispered Dagger as he stood up and looked at the fire that was spreading everywhere. The smoke started in it was getting hard for him to see and breathe.

**BRRRRRRRRRRNNNNN BRRRRRRNNNN** went the sound of the fire alarm. Dagger looked around and then he quickly went towards the window that he crashed through. He could see the police car hovering in the air but it was obvious they were worried about the raging fire. Dagger put his foot on the window seal just as he heard a growl, he turned and Vanquish came flying forward and tackled him out of the window.

* * *

**In the air **

The Bat-mobile was flying through the air at top speed. Batman pushed on the controls and made the flying vehicle fly even faster. He had spent the last few hours doing training workouts trying to take his mind off of his missing friends but so far nothing was helping.

He had gone through his 5th training session when he got the call about two Knightbreed vigilantes in the area running away from the cops, which suited him just fine because he needed something to hit. Just as he got into the batmobile and took off Bruce informed him that a fire had broken out where the two were fighting, so he pushed on the controls making it fly faster in hopes getting to the fire before it got too out of control.

"I'm coming up on the fire now" he said out loud.

'_I see that, judging from the blaze it's just isolated to one side of the building, freeze capsule should be enough to put out the fire" _

"Roger that" Batman responded pulling back on the levers.

* * *

The Bat-mobile slowed down and flew towards the section of the apartment that was on fire. He pressed some buttons and suddenly an x-ray of the side of the apartment he was facing could be seen through the screen.

"No civilians in the area" he said out loud again.

"Good, there is a switch above and to the left of you flip it and then pulled down on the left thruster" came Bruce's voice over their link.

Batman did as he was told and he looked up and flipped the blue switch.

A small tube emerged out of the left side of the batmobile.

Batman pulled down on the lever and from the tube a short ice blast fired out of the vehicle at into the inferno of an apartment.

The blast of ice hit and froze the whole apartment killing off the fires instantaneously.

"Well that was easy" commented to himself.

**BEEP!** He looked at the screen as an image of a fight down below caught his attention.

"Well I found our Knightbreed friends"

"_Be careful McGinnis" _

"I will" he replied reaching up and pulling on the two top levers. The bottom of the batmobile opened up and Batman fell through the air towards the two combatants locked into a fierce fight.

* * *

**Down Below**

"HA!" shouted Dagger as he kneed Vanquish in the stomach earning a grunt of pain, Vanquish brought his head forward and headbutt Dagger in the chin hoping to get some space so he could maneuver. He was beyond angry, but he could only be angry at himself thinking that Dagger would be an easy target because he trained him but it seems Dagger has adapted the training into his own formidable style of fighting. He would be proud if he wasn't on the receiving end of his hard hits and swift kicks.

Dagger rolled with the attack and spun delivering a spinning back fist.

"Oomph" Vanquish grunted feeling the blow. He shook his head and delivered a straight kick to Dagger's stomach knocking the wind out of him for a second. Vanquish took the opportunity to pull out a knife and dash forward but a shadow formed over him. He looked up to see Batman descending down towards him.

**BAM! **

Batman slammed both of his feet into Vanquish's chest sending them both to the ground but he flipped off his hands and onto his feet.

"What's going on here a lover's spat" he quipped eying the two of them, "The two of you have done enough I'm taking you both in"

Dagger gripped his stomach willing the pain to stop and he eyed Batman.

"H-He's….trying to kill me" Dagger said breathlessly, he dropped to a knee still cradling his stomach.

Batman narrowed his eyes at Dagger because his voice sounded familiar; he studied the eyes for a moment until recognition passed on his face.

"Brian" Batman stated earning a shocked look from Dagger.

"BOTH OF YOU DIE!" shouted Vanquish tossing some marble sized balls to the ground.

**POP! POP! POP! POP!** Went the sound followed by giant flashes of light.

"ARGH MY EYES!" Dagger and Batman shouted.

Vanquish fought his way to his feet and he fired an arrow that nailed Batman in the shoulder piercing through his armor slightly. Vanquish charged forward and delivered a haymaker to Batman's face. He then grabbed the horns and brought him in for a knee to the face.

Batman was seeing stars but he wasn't out of the fight, he recovered from the hit and he brought his hands up fins first and brought them across Vanquish arms slashing them. The sudden slash and feeling of pain made him left go of his horns and stumble back.

Batman wiped the blood from his lips and then ripped the arrow out of his shoulder. He got into a stance and eyed the bleeding Vanquish.

"Let's go Dreg" he growled out charging forward. Vanquish geared himself for another fight but in his current state he wasn't a match for Batman. A straight hard punch to his nose followed by a quick left hook and then a quick right hook and then an elbow with the same arm. Next Batman grabbed him by the shoulder and brought him in for a knee to the hip joint which earned a loud howl of pain from the vigilante. Keeping up the momentum he flipped Vanquish onto the ground where he delivered a final blow to the face and knocked him out.

Batman stood up and then turned to look at Dagger who was rising up to his feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked going over to him.

"No" he replied still gripping his stomach "You knew my name…..how?"

Two spotlights were shinned upon them, they both looked up to see one belonged to the police and the other was a news helicopter.

"FREEZE RIGHT THERE!"

"Come on" Said Batman running towards Dagger, he looped one of his arms around his neck and then quickly curled his feet. His rockets blared to life and the two flew away from the scene, but before they flew away Batman saw the police car lowering to the ground presumably to arrest Vanquish at least that's what he hoped.

* * *

_**TV**_

_Tom: There you have it ladies and gentlemen live. Batman is…_

_Kim: Hold on. I'm sorry to interrupt you Tom but we have breaking news, we have just received word that someone has called our station with important and intimate knowledge about the Knightbreed. This anonymous source has said that they know the location of the Knightbreed Strong hold and if the Police are watching they should make their way to Mama Roselli's dry cleaners. _

_Tom: Is this anonymous source credible _

_Kim: I'm not sure Tom but can the Police really take that chance and pass up a potential lead on these violent vigilantes._

_Tom: I believe the question now is what are the police going to do_

* * *

**NGCPD- Commissioner Gordon's office**

Barbara was sitting in her office rubbing her tired eyes, she was trying to figure out just what the hell was about to happen and she had been for the past few hours. She let out a dry laugh because back in the day, in her prime she would've been able to figure this out in a second but now she was struggling to make sense out of everything that has happened, there was a piece of the puzzle missing and for the life of her she couldn't figure it out.

"COMMISSIONER!" shouted her Lieutenant busting into the office.

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?"

"Ma'am there is something happening. During a news report the hosts received an anonymous tip that the Knightbreed lair is at a Dry Cleaners on 23rd street Downtown Gotham, and we received a tip as well concerning the same information."

"What" Barbara replied standing up and as she stood she was hit like a lightening bolt, _'Son of a Bitch….he's gonna get us to do his dirty work for him and then he and his gang will try to swoop in'_ she thought to herself.

"Ma'am and we have some officers already on the way to the scene."

"Dammit" she whispered. She grabbed her jacket and ran around her desk "Tell those officers to stand down and wait till I get there. Call every other officer and tell them to report to the dry cleaners but make sure they are wearing their vest and gas mask. Also call S.W.A.T. and get them down there as well" she replied quickly.

'_And meanwhile I'll call…..backup'_ she thought reaching into her pocket and dialing some numbers.

* * *

**Bat-Cave- few Seconds Later**

"Barbara you know this is a trap" said Bruce standing up and moving around in his mechanical bat-suit.

"Of course it's a trap but my hands are tied. The whole damn city heard the news report, I have to respond"

"You're right. I'll send McGinnis to give you the back up you need" he replied ending the conversation.

"Computer McGinnis" he stated out loud.

* * *

**Roof-top**

Batman gently set Dagger down against an air conditioning unit and then stared down at him.

"You need to get to a hospital" he said.

"No kidding" Dagger replied "I was trying to hold out until I found my sister….but she's safe. Thank God she's safe" he said leaning his head against the air conditioner and pulling down his face mask.

"Thank God I got there in time"

"Thank you for saving her, I owe you a debt I can't repay"

"You can start by telling me about the Knightbreed" Batman replied

'_McGinnis' came Bruce's voice. _

"What is it?" he replied turning away and taking a few steps away from Dagger.

'_There is a situation, the police have been alerted to the Knightbreed hideout but it's probably a trap set up by Terminal. Go there and back them up, but be careful' _

"Got it" he said ending the conversation. He turned back to Dagger and he walked towards him.

"What's happening?"

"The cops are being set up by Terminal he…."

"He told them where the Knightbreed was located" Dagger finished standing up.

"Yeah"

"This is all my fault; I have to go help them"

"The Cops….or the Knightbreed"

Dagger didn't get a chance to finish because at that moment Batman's phone began to ring. For a second his heart skipped a beat, he scrambled and grabbed at his belt trying to remove the phone from its spot. He grabbed it and he answered the call.

"Terry"

"Carter" he growled "Or should I say Terminal"

"I see you've been watching the news" he replied

"No, I figured it out for myself" Batman said.

"Hmph good for you, but you know you're not the first person to figure out my identity today"

"Where are they?"

"Find your way to the Hewitt building. We'll be waiting. Oh and I don't have to tell you to come alone"

"How do you know I won't bring the cops?"

"Well if you were watching the news you'd know that the cops are a bit busy at the moment"

"When I get my hands…." He started.

"Hurry up Terry or I'll have to start without you…HAHAHAHA!" he laughed before ending the call.

"BASTARD!" he shouted breathing heavily. He now had a choice to make either he could go save Max and Dana or he could go and help the Commissioner and the police, he was forced to make a decision that undoubtedly will leave people either dead or injured. He had to make a choice and the clock was ticking. Batman glanced down at his phone and his mind drifted towards Dana and then Max and from there his mind drifted back to Wayne Manor Mansion and to the words that Barbara said to him.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_Barbara: Being Batman is like a double edged sword. It's always those around you that will always be hurt the most…they will be the ones to suffer. _

* * *

**Present**

Batman shook himself from the memory and his choice was ever so clear in his mind. He would do anything to save his friends….anything. He looked up at Brian who was staring at him trying to figure out what was going on.

"Tell me something Brian…..do you love Max"

"What. How do you know her…?"

"Just answer the question….Do You Love her"

"Yes" He replied without hesitation still looking at him in confusion

"Good, because she's in trouble"

"WHAT!" he shouted.

"It's a long story but she tried to confront Terminal and he captured her"

"SON OF BITCH! Damn that curiosity of hers, was that Terminal on the phone asking for you?"

"Sort of, he wasn't asking for Batman though….he was asking for….." he started before reaching up and removing his mask "He was asking for Terry McGinnis"

"YOU!" shouted Brian in shock at seeing Batman's Identity, "You're Batman, but…"

"Yeah I know it's a shock but it's beside the point. The only thing that matters now is rescuing Max and Dana the girls that we Love, both of them are important to us and I can't save them without your help" he said.

Brian pushed his shock to the side and he listened to what Terry saying and a look of determination passed across his face.

"What's the plan?" he asked staring Terry in his eyes.

* * *

**Mama Roselli's Dry Cleaners**

Dozens of police cars were parked around the dry cleaner, even more were hovering in the air with their weapons out and trained on anything. The whole area had been sectioned off protecting civilians for what they knew what was going to be a battle. S.W.A.T. team snipers where on the surrounding buildings waiting for the signal or any moment of any kind.

* * *

Commissioner Gordon's police car arrived on the scene and she stared at all of the officers, men and woman alike who believe that finding out where the Knightbreed are is a stroke of luck, none of them realizing that this is trap being laid by a very cunning enemy.

"THIS IS THE POLICE KNIGHTBREED WE KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" shouted one of the officers over the bullhorn, "YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO COMPLY BEFORE WE COME IN!"

* * *

**Knightbreed Lair- Seconds Earlier**

Standing over 50 strong were the Knightbreed, men and women united under a common goal to bring to extreme justice to those that think they are above the law. Each and everyone of them wronged in some way by their mortal enemies the Jokerz, a fact that was known by the leader of this group of vigilantes, Helena Bertinelli aka the Huntress.

The Huntress stood in front of her army and she eyed each of them with a steely gaze.

"Can you hear them…?" she started eyes roaming over them, "Can you hear them up there…..laughing at us? The Jokerz are a cunning enemy, they always have been and they always will be and they….. have enlisted the help of Neo-Gotham's finest against us. The supposed protectors of Neo-Gotham. HA! They are not the ones who have been keeping this city safe from the Jokerz IT HAS BEEN US! WE THE KNIGHTBREED! We are the ones who have been out there in the dead of night, night after night searching and eliminating these vile animals and for our hard work they call us crazy…they call us violent and they call us vigilantes, everything but Heroes" she said staring at them, "But that is okay we don't need their praise nor do we need them. They are here to stop us…TO STOP US! If they are here to stop us then by definition that makes them against us and if they are against us they are our enemies. If they are here that means they are doing the biding of the Jokerz. If any of you are apprehension about taking on the police throw it from your mind and remember what brought you here. WHERE WERE THEY WHEN THE JOKERZ RUINED YOUR LIVES! WHERE WERE THEY WHEN THE JOKERZ TOOK WHAT WAS GOOD IN YOUR LIFE AND DESTORYED IT! THEY WERE NO WHERE! But my brethren I was there for you…..we were here for each other and they seek to tear that apart but I say No….I SAY HELL NO! WE WILL STAND AND WE WILL FIGHT WHOEVER TRIES TO DESTORY US BECAUSE WE ARE THE KNIGHTBREED!" She roared pumping her fist into the air, which was followed by a laud shout from the gathered individuals

"KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREEED!" they chanted over and over.

"YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO COMPLY BEFORE WE COME IN!" came an echo form the police bullhorn that drifted down to the lower levels.

"GO AND SHOW THEM WHO WE ARE!" Huntress shouted.

"KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREED! KNIGHTBREED!" they chanted while turning and running towards the exits and secret exits.

"And so it begins" Huntress said to herself watching them go.

* * *

**Outside**

"STAND DOWN ALL OF YOU!" shouted Commissioner Gordon rushing towards the officer with the bullhorn and snatching it away from him.

"Commissioner!"

"We don't want to provoke….." she started.

Suddenly all of the lights in the dry cleaners went out.

**CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! **

All the officers turned to see dozens of black balls crashed through the glass and go rolling along the ground.

**KCHSSSSSSSS KCHSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS** Thick cloudy black smoke seeped out of the balls and swept over the entire area shrouding everyone's eye sight.

"WE ARE THE KNIGHTBREEED!" came a loud roar followed by dozens of knightbreed vigilantes rushing through the broken glass and towards their enemies…the police.

* * *

Barbara let out a cough and covered her eyes slightly she could make out shapes emerging from the Dry Cleaners.

"EVERYONE FALL BACK!" she shouted but it fell upon deaf ears.  
Two Knightbreed vigilantes jumped and landed on the car in front of her, she looked up to see them raising their crossbows. Barbara reacted on instinct and threw the bullhorn in her hand at the one in front of her hitting him in the head. She then quickly lifted her leg and swept the feet of the other one. He hit the hood of the roof hard but that was nothing compared to the palm strike that hit him in the chin knocking him out.

Barbara took a few deep breathes as she looked around, she could hear gun shots as well as the sound of fighting happening all around her. The smoke was still thick but it looked like it was starting to dissipate.

"FALL BACK! She shouted again but her words fell upon deaf ears again because of the noise that was everywhere.

Barbara turned her head back to the entrance of the dry cleaners and her eyes widen at what she saw, or more specifically who she saw. Like a specter emerging from a nightmare the Huntress stepped from the thick smoke inside of the dry cleaners and to the street. She looked around with a steely gaze and a smirk upon her mouth at the chaos that happening around her.

At that moment all of the noise drowned out, the fighting, the gunfire and the yelling and the only thing Barbara could hear was her rapid heartbeat, without thinking she walked around the police car and slowly towards the Huntress who had finally taken notice of her. For a long second neither woman said anything to the other they just stared, blue eyes boring into green one.

Barbara swallowed a lump in her throat and then she spoke.

"Helena"

"Barbara"

* * *

**Hewitt Building **

Terry McGinnis eyed the building in front of him with a hard glare. He took a deep breath and ventured into the building that was under heavy construction.

Terry looked around and he spotted what looked like a stair case that would take him to the top and so he began to walk towards it but that's when several familiar looking Jokerz appeared and stood in his way.

"So you're the guy we're waiting for" scoffed Ghoul as he eyed Terry up and down.

"Doesn't look like much does he" said Bonk stepping towards him. Terry violently lashed out with a left hook and then a very quick right one that knocked Bonk to the ground and unconscious.

Ghoul and the other Jokerz took a step back at the sight of Bonk go down so quickly but they recovered.

"GET EM!"

Terry balled up his fist and waited. Ghoul was the first to reach him and he responded with a straight kick that nailed him in the stomach, Terry flipped over the hunched over Ghoul and he delivered a kick to the face of the Joker behind him. He landed and then crouched and swept Ghoul off his feet, he sprung up with an uppercut at another joker and then grabbed him and tossed him into the last one causing them both to hit a metal support beam and fall to the ground unconscious. Terry turned around and looked at Ghoul who was rising up on his elbows; he slowly walked towards Ghoul and stared down at him.

"Where is Terminal?"

"T-Top Floor" he replied

Terry kicked him in the face effectively knocking him out. He eyed the stairs that would take him to the top and he quickly began to make his way up.

* * *

**Streets of Gotham. **

"RAH!" shouted a Knightbreed vigilante as he lunged and kicked a coop in the chest sending him down to the ground, the same vigilante turned and fired and arrow at another cop nailing her in the shoulder. The vigilante turned only to receive a bullet to the chest.

Huntress stared at her ex-sister and best friend intensely.

"Helena"

"My Name is Huntress Barbara, Helena recently passed away with the last person she had a connection with in this hell you call a life" she replied darkly.

Barbara looked at her in confusion for a second before her eyes widen in shock.

"Charlotte" Barbara stated

"….." she didn't respond.

"Helena….."

"MY NAME IS HUNTRESS!"

"Call this off now" Barbara said ignoring her outburst.

"No" she stated in a way that left no room for discussion. She cracked her neck and she eyed Barbara with a look, a look that the woman in front of her knew all too well.

"Helena don't do this" said Barbara seeing her shift her feet.

"I told you I'm the Huntress RAH!" she shouted charging forward.

* * *

**Hewitt Building- Top Floor**

Terry reached the top of the steps and the first thing he heard were voices, but the first thing He saw was he saw was Terminal facing away from him and looking out of the window. Around him were about 12 of his Jokerz crew lounging about which is where the voices were coming from and from the looks of things they were waiting for something, waiting for him.

"OH MY GOD TERRY!" shouted Dana as she saw him walk up the steps, Terry turned to the left and he saw Dana and Max tied up against a support beam. Max shifted her head and tried to see him and she was able to see him out of the corner of her eye.

"TERRY WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE! GET SOME HELP!"

"Don't' worry Max everything is under control" he replied turning away from her face the JOkerz who had noticed him.

"Whose he?" one of them asked pushing off a stack of wooden planks and eyeing Terry up and down.

"Why that my friends is our esteemed guest, Terry McGinnis. Are you alone" Terminal asked turning around and facing him.

"Just like you said now let them go" Terry demanded, but his demand was only met with a smirk as Terminal stepped forward.

"I will but first we'll have a little fun shall we" he said while cracking his neck and fist, "You versus me McGinnis….whose the better Man, winner gets to walk out with the prize" he finished holding up his fist.

Terry looked at him and then at his Jokerz friends were starting form what looked like a circle around Terminal but they left an opening for him.

"How do I know they won't intervene when you're losing?"

"You don't….that's the fun of it" Terminal replied with a smile.

"TERRY DON"T DO IT!" shouted Dana.

"Relax Dana, everything is under control" he replied walking forward and into the circle.

Terry calmed himself and he got into a stance and faced down his enemy.

"You got the best of me in the park that day, but now it's time for round two McGinnis" Terminal growled.

Terry's eyes widen slightly at the revelation, but he didn't let it shake him.

"Bring it" he stated and with that statement the fighting commenced.

Terminal came in with a straight punch that was effortlessly blocked, he came in with a quick two punch combo but again Terry saw it coming and he blocked those attacks and he responded with a punch of his own but Terminal dodged the blow as it came, but he missed the quick kick that nailed him in the gut.

"COME ON TERMINAL! KICK HIS ASS!" his Jokerz shouted and chanted.

Terminal growled and lashed out with an uppercut that caught Terry in the chin busting his lips. Terry spit some blood to the ground and ducked under another strike as he came up he grabbed Terminal's arm and delivered a back fist to his mouth busting his lip and then a solid knee to the stomach.

"ARGH!" he grunted breaking Terry's grip on him.

"Hurt's doesn't it" Terry taunted eying him.

Terminal licked his bloody lip and he put a smile on his face.

"You would've made….. a good Joker Terry….I sense a ruthlessness in you, the kind that could take so far, join me. Join us"

"NO thanks Darth Terminal I'm good right where I'm at, Kicking your ASS!" he shouted jumping forward with a high knee nailing him in the chin so hard Terry swore he heard one of Terminal's teeth crack. Terminal was lifted up into the air and crashed to the floor. Terry landed and was about to capitalize but he felt something hit him in the back of the leg causing his leg to buckle and him to drop to a knee.

"ARGH!" he grunted turning only to receive a boot to the face that made him drop to the ground.

The other Jokerz started to surround him and began to kick him and stomp on him, Terry did his best to protect himself from the onslaught of kicks and stomps.

Terminal rolled over and he opened his mouth, two teeth and some blood drips out but he ignored it and he stood up. He swayed for a second before he turned to look at Terry.

"Stop" he stated rubbing his jaw. The Jokerz stopped their attack and Terminal walked over to Terry who was sporting some bruises.

"What….happened to you vs…..me" Terry groaned.

"I lied. I tend to do that" Terminal replied raising his fist and punching Terry in the face.

Terry took the blow and then he started to laugh, Terminal looked at him and a scowl formed on his face.

"What's so funny McGinnis?"

"HAHAHAHA I lied too" he said turning his head so Terminal could look into his ear, he scrunched his eyes and he saw a small silver stud in his ear, "On….my way over I ran into an old friend of yours….names Brian Milwood"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" shouted one of the Jokerz.

Everyone turned to the window to see Brian in his Knightbreed gear flying through the air, in reality he was riding on top of the cloaked batmobile. He was getting closer and closer and closer until.

**CRASH!** Went the sound of the cloaked Batmobile ramming through the glass, Brian jumped off of the vehicle and he flew at Terminal and nailed him in the face with a flying kick. Terminal flew back and hit the ground. The Jokerz backed up slightly which gave Terry enough time to roll away from them and next to Brian. Brian leaned down and helped him to his feet.

"Took you long enough" Terry whispered.

"Sorry, that thing is a bitch to drive" he whispered back.

"BRIAN!"

Brian looked and saw Max and Dana tied to a support beam, just seeing her alive set him at ease.

"MAX YOU ALRIGHT!"

"I'M FINE, BOTH OF YOU KICK THEIR ASS AND GET US OUT OF HERE!" she yelled out.

"Shall we?" asked Terry.

"Let's"

"GET EM'" one of the Jokerz shouted charging forward.

The two wasted no time in charging forward as well and meeting them in the middle.

* * *

**Streets of Gotham- Same Time**

"HA!" shouted Huntress as she nailed Barbara in the nose with an elbow drawing blood in the process. Barbara stumbled back but she didn't drop her guard.

'_God….she's just as fierce as she was 20 years ago'_ Barbara thought to herself. The Commissioner was sporting several bruises on her face as well as some slashes across her body but she gave as good as she got, because the Huntress was sporting injuries of her own. The two women circled each other

"I see you've been keeping up your skills Babs" said Huntress

"The same could be said for you Helena" she replied.

"RAH!"

Huntress jumped towards her enemy with a punch, Barbara blocked it and responded with a punch of her own. Huntress smacked it away and came in with chop; Barbara grabbed her hand effectively deflecting the blow. Barbara struck Huntress under the arm hitting a pressure point making her opponents arm go numb, Huntress threw her head to the side and head butted Barbara and then delivered one of the hardest kicks she has ever thrown and the kick was aimed directly at Barbara's back.

"AHHHHHH!" yelled Barbara as she went stumbling forward and she fell to the ground, while the Huntress stumbled back and grabbed her numb arm.

'_My back'_ thought Barbara for a whole second her back went completely numb and she couldn't feel her legs. Upon not feeling them her heart pounded in her chest and her panic level began to skyrocket.

"No…" she whispered in horror but then a tingling feeling happened, a familiar feeling that started at the base of her spine and began to spread to the rest of her lower body. The numbness disappeared and she regain the feeling in her legs. Barbara turned over and looked down but she couldn't focus on her legs because a foot found its way to her face. The Huntress dropped down and straddled her.

"What's the matter Barb age catching up" Growled Huntress grabbing a handful of Barbara's hair and delivering a solid punch to her face. Barbara's head snapped to the side because of the powerful strike. Huntress grabbed another handful and raised her hand again.

* * *

_**T.V: Helicopter: **_

"_IF you're just joining us I'm Veronica Vale and I am bringing you live footage of the Battle Royale happening in downtown Neo-Gotham, as the police have engaged the violent Vigilantes known as the Knightbreed. The battle seems to be about even but it could change at any moment….wait….Oh My God. I see can Commissioner Gordon and she is fighting an as of yet unknown vigilante. As you can see they are locked in a furious fight. OH MY GOD COMMSSIONER GORDON IS DOWN!_

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

Bruce leaned forward in his seat as he saw the Huntress delivered a kick to Barbara's back, Barbara fell down to the ground hard. He looked at the Bat-Computer and he hit a button.

"McGINNIS! WHERE ARE YOU! McGINNIS!"

* * *

**Hewitt Building**

Terry and Brian stood back to back taking apart any and all Jokerz that got close to them. Terminal elbowed on the nose just as Brian kicked one in the groin and flipped him over his hip. Terry turned and kicked the down Joker while Brian turned and threw out a roundhouse kick at Joker that was trying to come in on Terry from behind. Terry stepped and delivered a powerful side kick to a joker running towards them and Brian ducked under an over head punch grabbed the Joker's arm and then tossed him into a stack of wooden planks. The two backed up until their backs were touching again, they slowly turned to see that all of the Jokerz were down for the count.

"We make a good team" Terry whispered to him.

"Just don't call me Robin" Brian replied "Where is Terminal?"

The two looked around for their main goal but he was no where to be found.

"Shit" Brian growled in anger.

Terry ran towards Max and Dana and he began to untie them.

"Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?" asked Dana

"I always could fight Dana don't you remember" he replied

"Yeah like an ape McGinnis" Max chimed in "But that actually looked like you had some skill. Some Finesse….Some TERMINAL!"

Terry had just loosened the rope when he turned to see Terminal standing there with a piece of wood in his hand. He swung it but Dana kicked him in the groin throwing his swing off and only chipping Terry on the side of the head but the blow was enough to make him go backwards. He hit the ground but he didn't stay there, he quickly flipped up and prepared himself. He glanced down to see a few drips of blood, he reached up and felt a large gash on his forehead but he pushed the pain aside and he looked at Terminal. Terminal recovered from the strike to his groin and he looked at Dana, he raised his hand and slapped her across the face as hard as he could.

"You son of a bitch" said Brian and Terry shouted at the same time.

"I have to say…..playing with the two of you has been fun" Terminal started before dropping the plank and rolling up his sleeves, "But play time is over…it's time for the both of you to die"

Terminal reached into his pocket and he removed three white familiar looking patches. He quickly peeled one back and then slapped it on his forearm, he peeled another one and slapped it on his other forearm and he peeled the last one and slapped it to his neck.

"POWER!" Terminal roared as his muscles began grow and bulge out, his once lean build replaced by a broad overly muscular frame, he grew in height as well taking him from about 6'0 to about 6'8 to 6'9.

"No" Terry whispered in shock of seeing him transform. Brian and Terry instinctively took a step back as he finished transforming into the muscle bound behemoth.

"DIE!" Terminal roared running forward with surprising speed. He lashed out with a powerful punch that connected to Terry stomach. Terry was lifted off of his feet and sent skidding to the ground. Terminal stopped his charge and brought his arm around and backhanded Brian away and into a wooden crate destroying it in the process.

"BRIAN!"

"TERRY!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Terminal stomping over to the downed Terry. He grabbed him with both hands and held him high over his head.

"SAY GOOD-BYE TO TERRY DANA!" he shouted before throwing him out of the busted window.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Dana screamed at the top of her lungs.

* * *

**In the air. **

Terry rapidly fell through air, the wind whipping against his face but while he was falling he didn't for once panic. His stomach was throbbing painfully but he couldn't focus on that, he had to save himself and then he had to save his friends from Terminal. He reached into his pocket and he pulled out a black cylinder with a red button. He pushed the button.

* * *

Up top the cloaked bat-mobile backed up and suddenly did a nose dive through the air. The boosters were on full so it was in no time that the bat-mobile rocketed passed Terry and hovered in the air waiting for him.

**THUD!** Went the sound of him hitting the top of the bat-mobile.

"Ooooomph….OW" he groaned holding his shoulder for a second. He held up the cylinder and he pressed the button twice. The batmobile de-cloaked and the hood slide open, he jumped into the bat-mobile and he grabbed his bat-suit.

"Time to level the playing field" he said to himself yanking his mask over his face.

* * *

**Up above**

"TERRY!" yelled Max.

Terminal turned and he eyed the two of them and a sick grin formed along his mouth.

"OOOPS HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed before turning his eyes to Brian was groaning and pushing himself up.

"Brian. Brian. Brain. Are you having fun yet because I'm having a blast" he said stomping over towards him.

Brain sucked in a huge breath of air and he prepared himself, his body was still injured from earlier in the day but he couldn't afford to stop…he wouldn't this was the moment he had been dreaming about, it was him versus the man responsible for so much pain in his life, but of all the scenarios of how the final battle would go down this scenario never crossed his mind.

"C-Come ON!" Brian defiantly facing his enemy.

"RAH!" he growled charging forward like a brute; Brian waited and at the last second jumped out of the way. He rolled into a crouch and the sprung up and landed a solid punch to Terminal's back but it was so thick and muscular he was sure that it didn't do much damage. Terminal spun around trying to hit him but he was able to duck under the strike. He threw out a kick which nailed him in the gut but Terminal barely registered the attack. He growled deeply before reached out and grabbing him by the shoulder and lifting him up off the ground. Terminal held up his free hand and reared it back with the intentions of punching a hole through Brian's head but before he could do that they both heard a sound.

They looked down to see a blinking batarang next to Terminal's feet. Brian's eyes widen and as quickly as he could jerks himself Terminal's grip ripping his costume in the process but freeing himself. He hit the ground and sprung away just as the batarang blew.

**BOOM!  
**"AHHHH!" shouted Terminal being thrown across the room and into some cinder-blocks.

Two batarangs flew side by side and hit the ropes tied around Dana and Max, the two looked towards the window to see Batman de-camouflage and turn to them.

"BATMAN!"

"GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"

"What about Terry?" asked Dana

"I saved him he's fine…NOW GO!" he roared.

Dana and Max nodded their heads and ran towards the steps and began to make their escape.

"…argh" grunted Brian walking over to him.

"You ready?" Batman asked.

"Yeah"

"Well lets…" Batman started before a cinderblock came flying and nailed him in the chest "Augh" he grunted hitting the ground.

"BATMAN YOU'RE HERE NOW THE PARTY CAN REALLY START HAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Terminal effortlessly picking up some cinderblocks and began to throw them at the two of them.

"MOVE!" shouted Brian dodging the blocks as they came.

* * *

**Streets of Neo-Gotham**

The police and the Knightbreed were still locked in battle with neither side giving an inch, the Knightbreed took out the cops and the cops took out the Knightbreed. Bodies of the wounded littered the streets as well as knives, bullet casings and arrows.

Among all of this chaos no one noticed a large truck driving towards the ensuing battle in the distance. The Truck was coming closer and closer.

* * *

Barbara deflected a blow from the Huntress and quickly cupped her hands and brought both of them up to her head and slapped them on her ears earning a growl of pain. Barbara then chopped her in the neck and the force from the chop knocked her off of her, she then quickly rolled away and shakily stood to her feet.

'_Can't let her near my back again…that was too close'_ she thought to herself, her back was on fire but she welcomed the pain because it meant that she could feel.

Huntress shook her head and eyed Barbara; she quickly held up her hand and fired two arrows from her wrist crossbow. Barbara jumped out of the way, she rolled across the ground and as she rolled she grabbed an officers fallen nightstick and threw it, the nightstick flew and smacked her on the side of her face.

"AH!" she shouted blood flying from her lips.

Barbara took advantage of the distraction and charged forward fist raised high. The Huntress turned and looked at her airborne ex-sister just as she came down as hard as she could with a left hook. Barbara put all of her strength into that blow and she was sure that Huntress felt every bit of it, Barbara rooted herself in her stance and she came around with an equally powerful right hook. The Huntress was sent spiraling backwards where she hit side of a police car and then fell face down on the pavement unmoving.

Barbara sucked it a few breathes of air greedily.

"Ow" she whispered holding up her knuckles which were cut and bleeding. She lowered her hands and looked at the unmoving Huntress as she stared at her ex-sister a look of sadness passed across her face, mostly because she felt responsible for her current predicament.

"COMMISSIONER!"

Barbara turned as her Lieutenant ran towards her, she was sport cuts across her face and a few rips in her clothes but she was otherwise fine.

"What is it" she replied out of breath.

"We have the upper hand for the moment, we have some of them in custody but most of them are still fighting us tooth and nail, what do we do"

"Get the gas mask and tell S.W.A.T. to get the tear gas…."

**HONK! HONK! HONK!**

The Commissioner and the Lieutenant turned around just as the Tractor Trailer came barreling through their road block.

"What the hell" Started the Lieutenant before the Truck turned to reveal its open back. Sitting on the edge were three Jokers with RPG's in their hands at the ready. They clicked down on the triggers and let them.

"DOWN!" shouted Barbara as the RPG hit a group of Knightbreed and cops.

**KABOOOOOM! KABOOOM! KABOOM!**

* * *

Not even a second after the large explosions about a dozen Jokerz jumped out of the back of the Truck and they each tossed a canister in the air and shot them releasing the toxin green joker venom into the area. The toxin venom swept over the officers not wearing their gas mask and over the Knightbreed. At first they began to seize up and then the laughing started, the horrible and uncontrollable laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Everyone laughed, they fell to the ground laughing, laughing and laughing.

Barbara lifted her head and saw the green gas everywhere, since she had been cured she was fine, she looked around and saw a few other officers were fine as well, because they were the ones with her on the raid and cured by Batman from the gas. She turned her head to the left to see her Lieutenant on the ground laughing uncontrollable. Barbara scooted over to her and held her, tears were flowing from the Lieutenants eyes because she wanted to stop but she couldn't.

'_McGINNIS WHERE ARE YOU!_' she thought to herself frantically.

* * *

**Hewitt-Building-Seconds Earlier**

"God…h-he's…..strong" Batman struggled to get out. Terminal had him in a death lock strangling the life out of him.

"DIE YOU POINTIED EARED FREAK!"

Batman flicked his wrist and produced a batarang and stabbed the end of it into Terminal's meaty arm.

"ARGH!" he shouted raising one hand up.

Brian came running in with a metal pipe in hand; he slammed the pipe into Terminal's knee making him buckle. Batman took the opportunity to grab one of the patches on the arm that was strangling him and rip it off.

"NO!"

Terminal's body shrunk by a few inches, he tried to stand up but Brian delivered a vicious kick to the face that knocked him for loop and caused him to release Batman who fell to his feet. Batman bent his wrist and fired a grappling line that wrapped around Terminals left arm, he pulled with all of his might and straightened the arm out.

"PULL THE GODDAMN PATCH!" he shouted.

Brian nodded his head and he grabbed the patch and ripped it off causing Terminal to shrink even more.

"DAMN THE BOTH OF YOU! YOU CAN"T DEFEAT ME!"

Brian ignored him and threw a punch that nailed him in the mouth busting some teeth out in the process. Terminal tried to punch him but his movements were sluggish and easily avoidable. He tried to stand but Batman threw another batarang towards his feet.

"MOVE!" Batman shouted just as the batarang exploded and threw Terminal off of his feet and to the ground again.

Brian and Batman ran and then jumped onto of their downed enemy holding him down; Batman quickly reached up and ripped the last patch off.

_'Finally'_ he thought.

Terminal began to shrink even more all the way back to his normal size.

"Ugh" he let out a groan of absolute agony, he tried to sit up but he ultimately fell back down but he didn't drift into unconsciousness he was still awake eyeing the two of them evilly.

"He's down" said Batman out of breath.

"Not yet" Brian replied looking down, he saw a gun lying on the ground and as quickly as he could he picked it up and he trained it on Terminal.

"Whoa…Brian what are you doing?"

"What does it look like, I'm ending this" he replied eyes locked with Terminals.

"I can't let you do that"

"Then walk away Batman…..this is the only way it could end. He's too dangerous to be left alive and he had my mother murdered….kidnapped my sister….and he murdered my Father."

Batman's eyes widen, he knew what Brian was going through but he wouldn't let him make a decision that would haunt him forever.

"Brian….listen to me I know what you're going through" he said moving to stand in front of him reluctantly shielding Terminal.

"Do You?"

"Yes I do"

"Well then you'll know to get the hell out of my way he deserves this"

"You're right he does but this decision will haunt you, you have to be better than him"

"I already am better than him, I don't kill people for fun and I don't murder people on a whim he is a disease and I go the cure right here" he said darkly "Now Move" he said holding the gun up and at Batman's head.

"Just….Just listen me, if you kill him…it won't take the pain away, it won't ease your mind and above all it won't bring your father back. The only thing you gain by killing him furthering the cycle of violence that this city is known for, but Brian I've looked into your eyes. You are a good person don't let this piece of shit taint you even further. I know you're hurting and I know that it would be easy to give in but I'm begging you don't. What would Max say if she saw you right now…..What would your father say if he saw you right now. He deserves to face his crimes and rot in a prison cell for the rest of his life….death is too good for him. I'm begging you to….."

'_McGINNIS WHERE ARE YOU, THE JOKERZ HAVE RELEASED THE JOKER VENOM THE POLICE NEED YOUR HELP!'_ Bruce roared over the comms system.

"Damn" he whispered turning towards the open window and then back at Brian, "I….I have to go"

"Then Go" Brian replied.

Batman hesitated for a second; he could take the gun away but then that would result in another fight, a fight that would take too much time, time that he had a limited amount of because if the Joker Venom is in the air then the people exposed only had a few minutes until they died.

Batman looked him in the eyes and he reluctantly rushed towards the broken window but before he left he said one last thing.

"If you kill him Brian it's only a matter of time before you become him"

Batman jumped out of the window and into the batmobile, the flying vehicle rocketed away form the building and towards the Dry cleaners.

* * *

Brian turned away from the window and back at Terminal who had a smile on his bloody face.

"Well…W-What…are you w-waiting for" he groaned trying to sit up but Brian kicked him back down to the ground and held him there with his foot firmly on his chest, "You know you want to Brian…..come on and DO IT! I WANT YOU TO DO IT!"

Brian gripped the gun in his hands tightly, his finger pulling back on the hammer. He wanted to….he thought about his mother lying on the floor, he thought about his sister and how scared and frightened she must've been being captured by these animals and finally he thought about his father and what he swore to himself.

Brian gritted his teeth and lowered gun towards Terminal's head and he pressed it there. His vengeance was right there…..ripe for the taking but he couldn't, Batman's words still hung heavy in the air.

"DO IT!" roared Terminal

Brian grinded his teeth and then he pulled back and turned around and he let out a few haggard breaths of air.

"YOU'RE PATHETIC…..HAHAHAHA…..J-Just like your father"

Brian stopped and he stood perfectly still, he gripped the gun tightly and he slowly turned back to face Terminal who was attempting to pick himself up but the only thing he was able to manage was to sit on his knees.

"Yeah I remember your Father…tenacious old bastard" he continued spitting out some blood and eying Brian with a steely gaze, "He didn't know when to quit….which was fine because I….we enjoyed beating him to a pulp"

Brian's eye twitched and in a daze he walked forward.

"But that was only the beginning….the true moment of fun however, happened when…." He started, he waited for Brian to get close to him before whispering the rest "I killed him and you know what…..I'd Do it again too and again and again and again."

Brain swallowed hard and he held his head high for a second before lowering his head.

"DO IT!"

He stared into Terminals eyes and then raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

**BANG!**

* * *

**In the Air **

"How many are down there?" asked Batman

"Too many to manually administer the anti-venom" Bruce replied

"So what do I do?"

"I have an idea; feel under the console you should see a panel, rip it off"

Batman looked at the screen of the batmobile and then down at the console of buttons, he scooted back and felt under the console until he found the panel and effortlessly ripped it off. Once the panel was off some wires fell out.

"Now what?" he asked.

"You should see a yellow wire and a blue wire, cut them and then tie them together"

Batman did as he was instructed and he cut the yellow and blue wire and then tied them together.

"Done"

"Good, now I can do the rest remotely" Bruce replied.

Batman sat back and he watched as the batmobile schematic pulled up on the screen and a few beeps could be heard.

"What are you doing?"

"The anti-venom canisters in the batmobile, I'm switching them out with the freeze canisters. So now you'll be able to use the freeze ray in the batmobile as a make shift anti-venom spray"

"Hmph…..I love this car" Batman responded pushing on the controls, flying faster.

* * *

**Streets of Gotham**

The Jokerz that were in the truck produced automatic weapons and as soon as the green toxic gas spread out among everyone gathered and as everyone began to laugh they began to open fire on the Knightbreed and the cops, killing them before the gas could finish the job.

"Terminal SAID NO ONE SURVIVES HAHAHAHAHAA" one of the Jokerz laughed.

* * *

Barbara reached into her holster and removed her weapon; she stood up and began to return fire at the Jokerz. The other officers who were immune to the gas as well tried their best to return fire as well but the Jokerz had superior weapons.

'_McGINNIS HURRY THE HELL UP!'_ Barbara shouted in her mind ducking behind a car and reloading.

Just as she reloaded a strange orange mist began to rain down upon her, she looked up to see the bat-mobile hovering high in the air. The batmobile began to circle the entire and more of that strange orange mist began to rain down.

Barbara looked down and at her Lieutenant who inhaled the orange mist and immediately began to stop laughing, she took in a few deep breaths before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passed out.

"Bout time" she commented

"Sorry I'm late" came a voice. Barbara turned to her left to see Batman de-camouflage and turn to her.

"What the hell took you so long?"

"I had a fight of my own to finish. Where is the Huntress?" he asked.

Barbara turned to where she last saw the Huntress, she saw an open man hole which signaled that she was gone.

"Gone" Barbara replied her lips curled up but she let her anger go because she knew they would be running into each other again "We can't worry about her now. Go and take care of those Jokerz"

"On it" he replied spreading his wings and taking to the air.

* * *

"IT'S THE BAT! WASTE EM'"

The Jokerz aimed their weapons but it was too late, Batman fired about a dozen mini-razor bats from his wrist at their weapons knocking them from their hands. He landed in the center of them and proceeded to take them apart. Batman was flurry of swift kicks, punches and takedowns. He jumped and spun in the air kicking three Jokerz in the face and knocking them down, he landed and threw a palm strike at another while elbow another one that tried to grab him from behind. One of the Jokerz threw a kick and Batman caught it and then kicked him in the groin and then kneed him in the head knocking him out.

Once that Joker went down Batman looked around for anymore challengers but they had all been taken care of, he let out a breath of air and he turned to the sound of someone approaching him.

"Good work" said Commissioner Gordon limping towards him.

"Thanks, hell of a night huh"

"Haven't had nights like this in a while. I'm getting too old for this shit" she said looking around at the unconscious Jokerz, Knightbreed and her fellow officers.

**THROOM! THROOM!** Went the sound of thunder rolling in signaling the rain.

"Do you need me to help you take these guys in?" he asked.

"No, I got it….back up is on the way. I phoned it in when you were taking care of these guys. Go home…..get some rest"

"I will, but I have a few more things to check on before I do" he replied '_Dana, Brian, and Max'_ he thought.

"Good night Commissioner" he said before he spread his wings, curled his feet and took the sky just as the rain began to fall.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review: ** **Hey Readers it's me again with the closing comments as usual. WHOOOOOO heck of a chapter if I do say so myself. LOL! I hope you all enjoyed this action oriented chapter, now readers I need to know was it epic like I promised or did it fall short of the mark you were looking for, I hope it was epic enough for you because as with most of my chapters this one went through many revisions until I settled on it's current form. As you can see with this chapter I'm closing up some dangling threads and the first thread that's closed is the war between the Knightbreed and Jokerz. With Terminal dead and his 'inner circle' taken care of the Jokerz are left without leadership which will no doubt make them that much easier to clean up in the future. The Huntress has been defeated for now, her Neo-Gotham faction of the Knightbreed has been dismantled but however she did escape…to where…well I can't reveal that just yet. Brian's thread is closed but where does he go from here….Ladies and Gentlemen I can guarantee you'll never guess as to what is going to happen to him, it'll blow your mind. Anyway that does it for this update; the epic level is only going to rise as we dive right into the next chapter and my loyal readers we are that much closer to the grand finale. So I ask all of you to review and let me know if you're enjoying this story or not, if you have any questions, comments, rants or raves either leave it in the Review or just send me a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying Later…..**

**Ps: Okay I wasn't able to do the double post but I'm hard at work trying to get the next chapter of Secret Warrior Spider-man out so don't go too far away. Once that chapter is up we head back into TSA: Amazing Spider-man where the much anticipated battle between the Vulture and Spider-man commences so my loyal readers I'll see you then. This is me saying Later….**

**Next up: The Last Stand of Bruce Wayne**


	24. The Last Stand of Bruce Wayne

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these characters ALL CREDIT goes to DC. DC owns everything I repeat I do not own these characters. I am not making any money of this story I can promise you. So please do not sue me I ask again please do not sue me. **

**Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back with another chapter for Batman Beyond volume 1. I first just want to start off by apologizing to all of you readers for making you wait so long for an update. I promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those writers that started a story and then took forever to update and yet…I turned into one of those Authors, and for that I apologize. As many of you know I'm juggling several things but my motto is this don't start a story unless you're able to finish it or at least update regularly. I know this story has probably lost some reviewers because it's been soooo long but I hope that you all return because this story only has two more chapters left until the epic conclusion. I know you all are tired of me talking so I'll say one last thing READ, REVIEW (A writer's main source of Motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 24: The Last Stand of Bruce Wayne **

**In the Air**

**THROOOM! THROOOM! **Went the sound of the loud and powerful thunder, more lightening flashed across the darkened sky and it was swiftly followed by more thunder and more rain. The rain droplets pelted against Batman but he didn't care; he wasn't' even fazed by the droplets because his mind was only on one thing…reaching Dana. He curled his feet more giving the rocket boots on the soles of his feet another boost. After dispensing the anti-joker venom to the police and the Knightbreed he had briefly met up with Commissioner Gordon and once she assured him she had everything under control he quickly flew away with the intentions of heading back to the Hewitt Building where he last saw Dana and Max.

'_Hold on Dana….Max…I'm coming'_ he thought to himself. Batman turned his head a bit and he saw the Batmobile flying right behind him. He pulled upwards and flew towards his ride and right as he neared it the top half slide back and he deftly dropped inside.

* * *

**Inside the Batmobile**

**BRRRRRING! BRRRRRING! **

Batman looked on the screen to see that he had an incoming call; he pressed a button on the screen an image of Bruce popped up.

"What happened….is Commissioner Gordon…?"

"Everyone is fine….Commissioner Gordon is alive...I administered the anti-joker venom in the nick of time. The Knightbreed has been taken care of"

"The Huntress?"

"Gone, she managed to escaped through the sewer system" he answered.

"She'll be back" Bruce stated.

"And I'll be ready" Batman replied confidently.

"What about the Jokerz and Terminal?"

"Both are finished and I'll explain it all later…right now I have something else to take care of and then I'll head back to the cave." He said pulling back on the levers and slowing the batmobile down until it came to a complete stop.

"Terry"

"Yeah"

"…..Good work"

"Thanks. Batman out"

Batman reached up and hit button that severed the link between himself and Bruce, he then took off his mask to reveal the face of Terry McGinnis. Terry tossed his mask to the side and from there he started to take the rest of his uniform off.

* * *

**Few Minutes later- Streets of Neo-Gotham**

Terry McGinnis ran as fast as he could through the heavy rain and down the semi-empty street, his hair and clothes were soaked but just like before when he was in his bat-suit he didn't care…all he could think about was reaching Dana. He lifted his head and scrunched his eyes, he could see the Hewitt Building. Upon seeing the building his heart raced even more causing more blood and adrenaline to pump to his legs making him run faster.

* * *

**Outside Hewitt Building**

"DANA! MAX!" Terry shouted upon reaching the front of the building and looking all around searching for them, "DA….." he started before he heard his name.

"TERRY!"

Terry whipped to the right and through the heavy hitting rain he could see Dana and Max running towards him. He took off towards them and he met them in the middle of the street. Dana jumped and hugged him as tightly as she could and he hugged her back as well.

Seeing him alive sent a surge of joy throughout her whole body…a joy that only cemented the fact that she still loved him no matter how much she tried to deny it to herself, and she couldn't deny it anymore.

The two pulled away from each other slightly and looked into the others eyes, they could feel the rain but at the same time they couldn't feel it, the only thing that mattered to them was the moment that they were sharing and as if they were being pulled together their eyes closed and they drew closer and closer until their lips met in a kiss. It was a kiss that reminded them both as to why they felt the things that they did for each other in the first place. It was a kiss that only lasted a few seconds but to them it was forever and a day.

Max watched the two of them pull apart with a small smile on her face.

'_Finally'_ she thought with relief before clearing her throat "Ahem! I hate to break this touching moment but what I'm chopped liver"

Terry and Dana turned to look at her and Terry moved away from Dana and pulled Max into a tight embrace.

"Jesus don't you ever scare me like that again" Terry stated, "What the hell were the two of you thinking?" he asked/demanded.

"I'm sorry I had to help Brian…I had to Terry" she answered pulling away from him.

"You could've been killed" Terry responded.

"You're the one to talk" Max countered "You almost were killed you idiot" she continued punching him in the arm. Terry could only shake his head at her comment, Dana then stepped forward and the three friends looked between each other and then Terry wrapped his arms around both of them. The three friends stood there in the rain embracing each other tightly; while they were hugging Max's eyes opened and she looked behind Terry to see someone exit the Hewitt Building, he was wearing the same clothes that one of the Knightbreed vigilante's wore and it only took her a split second to realize that it was Brian.

Max broke away from her friends and ran through the rain towards him.

"BRIAN!" she shouted.

* * *

Brian slowly turned his head to the left to see Max running towards him through the rain. He let a smile grace his lips because he was happy to know that she was still alight…she was still alive and that was all that mattered to him. He took a few steps forwards just as she neared and jumped into his arms.

"MAX!" he exclaimed, trying not to groan in pain, but his injuries were getting to him.

"BRIAN!"

The two hugged each other and then their lips meet as well just like Terry and Dana a few second prior.

"Thank God you're alright" Max gasped breaking the kiss and hugging him tighter.

"Thank God we got here in time" he said back to her, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" he roared

"I HAD TO HELP YOU!" she shouted back at him.

"No you didn't, Max I didn't need your help."

"Like hell you didn't." she snapped back.

"Max…..Batman found my sister and rescued her"

"He did?"

"Yes, so I didn't need you to help, but…I thank you for the attempt despite the fact that I almost lost possibly the most important woman in my life today" he said sincerely. Max lowered her head for a second before raising her head back up and staring into his eyes.

"BRIAN!"

Brian turned to see Terry and Dana walking over to them.

"Terry"

"You alright?" Terry asked.

"Fine, you?"

"I'll live. Terminal….how is he?"

Brian looked at him with a steely look that Terry instantly caught.

"He's dead, I killed him" Brian stated without an inch of remorse.

"You killed him?" Max questioned backing away from him a bit; Brian turned his head to her and nodded his head.

"Yes I did kill him…..he murdered my father, my mother, kidnapped my sister….and he tried to kill you….it was a no brainer Max. If I didn't kill him he would've come after me again because he knows who I am….I had to end him once and for all."

Brian's words hung in the air and for a minute and no one said anything. The only sound they heard was the loud droplets of rain hitting the street. Max averted her eyes away from Brian for a second before looking at him again; she opened her mouth to say something but her words were interrupted by the police sirens that were heading in their direction.

**WHOOOO! WHOOOOO! WHOOOO!**

The four teens turned to the right to see the flying police cars and the flashing blue lights heading right for them.

"Brian you gotta get out of here now" said Terry turning back to him, "If the cops see you dressed as one of the Knightbreed they'll arrest you on sight…..might even shoot"

"You're right" Brian agreed..

"No….No we can explain everything to them" Max interjected quickly.

"Right…because the police are the most understanding people" Brian countered "No, I have to go Max"

"Brian"

"Max" Dana said softly grabbing her shoulder. Max glanced at Dana who nodded her head.

"He's right he has to go" she said softly.

**WHOOOO! WHOOOO! WHOO!**

"I promise I'll see you again Max" said Brian. Max chewed on the bottom of lip again and she reluctantly let him go. The two of them locked eyes for a long minute before Brian whipped around and took off down the darkened street leaving the three of them standing in the rain watching him flee the scene.

* * *

**Wayne-Powers- Same Time **

Derek Powers was standing in front of his window staring out into the city that was being covered with rain. A lighting bolt flashed across the sky and the bright light illuminated his dimly lit office and in the reflection of the mirror he saw Inque standing behind him.

"Inque you're here." He stated looking at her through the reflection.

"I am" she replied

"Lights" he called out. The dimly light office suddenly illuminated causing Inque to shield her eyes for a moment.

"What's this plan of yours Powers and where is my money?"

"You'll get your money once Wayne is dead and now that you're here I can begin to put my plan in motion." He replied turning around to face her. Inque had a skeptical look on her shaded face but Derek paid it no mind, he walked towards his desk and he picked up his phone and he dialed a few numbers.

* * *

**Wayne Manor- Bat-Cave**

Bruce Wayne sat in his chair that was in front of the Bat-Computer surrounded by a comfortable silence. He had his serious eyes trained upon the muted screens that had the news displayed; the anchors were covering the situation between the Jokerz, the Knightbreed and the Police. There were some casualties but not nearly as many as there could have been thanks to them administering the anti-venom. Bruce caught a glimpse of Barbara pushing a camera out of her face and barking orders to her officers and the medical teams that were on the scene and he could help but smirk, she was acting just like her father used to after a major situation.

'_If you could only see her Jim'_ he thought to himself. Bruce leaned forward and pressed a button on the Bat-Computer and four opened files appeared on the screen.

"Computer, Case File number 250 Titled: **Bane**….Case Closed." Bruce stated leaning back in his chair. One of the files on the screen closed and the words cased closed appeared on the file before disappearing, "Case filed 249….**The Knightbreed**, case has been closed for now but waiting for further investigation because the leader the **Huntress**…Helena Bertinelli escaped custody."

The computer took down the notation and then disappeared just like the case file before it leaving two files left.

"Case file 249, **The Jokerz**…awaiting details from Batman. Next Case….Case 251….Derek Powers..." Bruce started before being interrupted by a call coming through, he looked at the number on the screen and he saw that it was coming from Wayne-Powers and Bruce instantly knew who it was that calling him. He reached over and hit another button answering the call.

"Powers"

"Bruce old friend…I trust I'm not calling at a bad time"

"Given the hour I'm curious as to why you're calling at all" Bruce replied narrowing his eyes a bit.

"Well I apologize for calling at such an inconvenient time but I was hit with an epiphany."

"An Epiphany?"

"Yes, you see I think that you and I need to be united if we are going to run this company together and I realize that the past few weeks have been rough….for the both of us, so I'm using this call as an…olive branch as it were, a sign of peace. I want to extend a hand in….friendship"

"What do you want?"

"I want you to meet me at Wayne-Power in 30 minutes where we can discuss how the both of us will move forward…" said Derek in the friendliest tone he could muster.

Bruce sat there in his seat for a moment not saying anything but letting the gears in his great mind turn; it only took him a second to decide upon a course of action and he let a small smirk grace his lips.

"That sounds like an excellent idea Powers…..I'm on my way"

"Good, I look forward to seeing you" Derek replied before cutting the line. Bruce's smirk left his mouth and he released a sigh.

'_He is going to try to kill me'_ Bruce thought with finality and reading between the lines of Derek's sudden extension of a friendly hand, _'I was expecting this…but not this soon though, I haven't had enough time to prepare.' _He continued to think. Bruce let out another sigh and then glanced to the right to see his heart medication sitting on the edge of the Bat-Computer. He stared at the bottle intently for a long moment before pursing his lips together in a thin line.

'_Perhaps….that's how things are meant to be. Hmph. Damn' _

Bruce turned back to his computer and he started typing into his computer. A video recording screen popped up and the camera was trained directly on Bruce who stopped his typing and looked at the screen.

"Begin recording" he stated.

**BEEP! BEEP!** "RECORDING" boomed the computerized voice.

Bruce stared at his reflection for a moment before he began to speak.

"Damian….."

* * *

**22 minutes Later: Bat-Cave**

"Stop Recording"

**BEEP! BEEP!** "RECORDING STOP" the computer's voice boomed again. Bruce heaved a sigh and stood up; he walked over towards his heart medication and he grabbed the bottle. He gripped the bottle tightly before turning around but when he turned he stopped because standing there was Yinn with his hands behind his back.

The two old souls stood there looking at one another for a good long minute until the silence was broken by Bruce.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked walking forward and towards him.

"Long enough to know that a man doesn't leave that type of message….unless he knows he's not coming back"

Bruce smirked a bit at Yinn's comment and turned to the left and began to walk away from the Bat-Computer. Yinn lowered his head a bit and followed after him.

"I could accompany you….if you'd like" Yinn offered.

"No thank you Yinn. This is something I have to take care of myself" he replied.

"One last thrill?" Yinn asked.

"One last fight" Bruce corrected.

"Master Wayne…"

"Bruce"

"Bruce…I can not in good conscious let you face…..this fight by yourself. Damian would never forgive me"

Bruce came to a stop and then turned towards Yinn and looked him in the eyes.

"If you truly want to help me Yinn then I need you to make sure that Damian and Terry look at the message I just left for them. It's imperative that Damian sees it though. And if he gets upset at you for letting me go off by myself…..just tell him I hit you"

Yinn scoffed a bit and let a smile grace his lips before nodding his head.

"Would you like to be alone?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you" Bruce replied straightened up.

Yinn nodded his head again and swiftly turned and made his way out of the Bat-Cave.

* * *

Bruce watched as Yinn walked up the spiraling stair case that would take him out of the cave. Once he exited Bruce turned and continued on his straight path towards the edge of the Bat-Cave.

The edge of the Bat-Cave was a steep cliff that faced a nearly bottomless chasm deep beneath Wayne-Manor. On many occasions Bruce had tried to determine how deep the chasm actually was but till this very day he hasn't found an answer to that question. Bruce came to a stop on the edge of the cliff and he peered down into the blackness; he raised the hand that had his heart medication and he looked at the bottle one last time before tossing the bottle down the deep black chasm.

Bruce watched with much satisfaction as the white pill bottle fell deeper and deeper into the chasm and disappearing from his sight.

**SQUEEEEE SQUEEEEEEE SQUEEEEEEEEEEE** came a loud screeching sound from the black chasm. Bruce narrowed his eyes a bit as heard the sound of a thousand flapping wings heading right for him and then like a river bursting through its floodgates dozens upon dozens of bats flew out of the chasm and into the cave.

They were everywhere…swarming around him screeching and flapping. Bruce stood still in his spot watching them flying around him, seeing them reminded him of the first time he had stepped foot into the cave…when they first surrounded him. He remembered it vividly.

* * *

**Flashback: Years Ago: Bruce Wayne: 24 ½ years old **

Bruce Wayne stood among the swirling bats in the dark cave with his eyes closed trying his best to control the emotions welling up inside of him, the most notable of those emotions was fear. Every since he was 8 he had been afraid of bats, but he spent the better part of a decade mastering his fear…using it as fuel for his mission. Bruce swallowed hard and gritted his teeth, he straightened up and he pushed passed the fear that was gripping him and closed his eyes…calling upon all of his training.

While his eyes were closed one of the bats that was flying around dove through the air and straight for the young Bruce Wayne. The bat flew closer and closer its fangs dripping with saliva in anticipation for the bite and just when the bat got close Bruce's hand shot out and snagged the bat out of the air.

**SQUEEEEEE SQUEEEEEEE SQUEEEEE** the bat squealed trying to get free. Bruce opened his eyes and he raised the bat to eye level and stared into its eyes.

* * *

**Present- Bruce Wayne: 82 years old**

Bruce stared into the eyes of the bat that was in his hands and he smirked, he released his hold on the bat and the creature of the night flew away. Bruce tilted his head upwards and held out both of his arms. The Bats swarmed around him and his opened arms and he stood there in the middle of the swarm un-afraid with open eyes and a serious expression upon his face. He had long ago conquered his fear and he had used his fear to bring dread to those that would prey upon the weak in the night….and it was time for that fear to be known in full to Derek Powers.

* * *

**Wayne Powers- 30 minutes Later**

Inque released a frustrated sigh and shifted in her seat.

"Where the hell is he Powers….despite what you may think I actually have better things to do" she said in a very frustrated tone.

Derek rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers on his desk.

'_Obviously Wayne is taking his sweet time….probably showing me that we do things on his time and not mine, just one more reason to end that man's life'_ Derek thought angrily to himself. He was trying his best to control the anger that was welling up inside of him, not only was he upset at Bruce for taking such a long time but he was also upset at Inque. The woman would dare try to go back on one of his deals and try to extort more money form him and when he agreed to the price change she fails to kill Wayne. Inque was a problem that he needed to go away but he would be taking care of both of them before the night was out.

'_Calm yourself Derek….soon they both will be in the ground'_ he thought reassuringly to himself, he knew he had to reign in his anger because if he didn't his radiation would eat through his synthetic skin…and he didn't want to tip his hand to Inque just yet.

**BEEP!** went the sound of Derek's intercom, the billionaire reached over and hit the button.

"Mr. Powers, Mr. Wayne has just entered the building and he's on the way up" said one of the security guards.

"Thank you Lester…..hey how about you and your partner Davidson take the night off"

"Do you mean it Mr. Powers?"

"Of course I do, take the rest of the night off, on me" Derek replied in a friendly tone.

"GEE THANK YOU MR. POWERS! I'll tell Davidson as soon as he's out of the can, see you tomorrow sir"

**BEEP!**

Derek looked at Inque and he smiled a bit.

"He's on the way up….get ready and stick to the plan"

* * *

**Few Minutes Later- **

Bruce stepped off of the elevator and he slowly made his way over to the double doors that were at the end of the hall. Each step he took was a step towards a fate that many weren't ready for but everyone faced; Bruce however was ready….he was ready to meet it head on and he would do it with his head held high and he would do it without an ounce of fear.

He neared the double doors and he knocked on the door.

"COME IN!" came Derek's voice from the other side.

Bruce grabbed the knobs and he opened the doors.

* * *

**Inside the Office**

Bruce confidently walked into the room and the first thing he saw was Derek leaning against his desk with a smile on his face, and the smug smile plastered on his face only made Bruce grip his cane tightly.

"Bruce….my old friend glad you could make it…except I called you almost 40 minutes ago….you're late."

"Well Powers in case you haven't noticed, I'm an old man. I'm not as spry as I used to be which means its takes me a while to get from place to place" Bruce replied stopping a few feet away from Derek.

"Right"

**THROOM! THROOOM!** Went the thunder. The two of them spent a long minute just staring at each other in silence but the silence was quickly broken by Bruce.

"I believe you want to talk about how we are going to move forward"

"That's right" Derek said pushing off of the desk and walking towards him, "But first I wanted to extend a hand in…friendship" he said before raising his right hand and slamming it across Bruce's face.

Bruce's head snapped to the side but he didn't let a sound escape from his lips nor did he move from his spot, he slowly turned his head back to face Derek who had a small look of shock on his face. Bruce reached up and rubbed his lips; wiping away the small speck of blood.

"Some show of friendship Powers"

"I never said I was extending a hand of friendship to you Wayne" Derek replied while holding up his hand and pointing behind him.

Bruce turned around and his eyes widen in shock as he saw the smiling face of Inque standing behind him.

"You remember me" she said. Inque's left hand quickly extended and slithered around his neck and hoisted him up in the air and then tossed him across the room where he rolled for a minute before coming to a rough stop.

Derek grinned when he saw Bruce on the ground; he glanced at Inque for a second before walking towards his downed enemy.

* * *

'_Ugh….didn't expect her. Definitely loss a bit of your edge, but you can take both of them' _Bruce thought to himself while shaking the cob webs out of his head. He looked up to see Derek walking towards him with that same smug look on his face.

"You know it didn't have to be this way Wayne….if you would've just stayed a recluse then I would not have had to resort to killing you. But no….you had to come back and screw with me." Derek stated staring down at him.

"What we're you trying to accomplish Powers…besides attempting to become a terrorist by supplying nerve gas to Kobra?"

"Terrorist?" Derek feigned in shock for a moment before letting his smirk return "No, I'm not a terrorist I'm an opportunist and when opportunity knocks I answer; aiding Kobra is just a means to an end"

"What did they promise you?"

"Well that's really something between Kobra and I now isn't it….and besides it's nothing you need to worry about, you won't be around to see it"

Bruce narrowed his eyes and quickly glanced to the left to see his can right next to him; Bruce caught Derek's eyes again but he was secretly reaching for his cane.

"Don't be so sure Powers" He replied grabbing his cane and using the curved end to wrap around Derek's left ankle. Bruce yanked on the cane and Derek was taken off of his feet. Bruce quickly got to his feet and gripped his cane tightly; Derek rose up only to be smack in the face with the edge of the cane knocking him back down. Bruce then looked up at Inque who was walking forward.

* * *

Inque let out a chuckle as she saw Derek get smacked in the face by Bruce.

'_Old man's got some fight in him but it's time to end this'_ she thought as she strolled forward towards him.

Bruce brandished his cane and Inque chuckled loudly.

"Oh I'm scared now" she mocked.

Bruce smirked a bit and twisted his cane a before throwing it at Inque. Inque effortlessly caught the airborne cane before it hit her and she looked at it with an amused look on her face.

"Seriously…..what was this suppose…" she started to say before a powerful electric shock erupted from the cane and ran along her body.

**KRZZZZZZZZZZZZZAPPPPPP!**

"UGHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed in agony feeling the electricity setting her nerves alight with pain and due to the nature of her body she shifted from her human form into her battle form and then to a puddle of living black ooze on the ground.

* * *

Derek heard Inque's shout of pain and he glanced and saw her go to the ground, he growled low in his throat and quickly rose up and speared Bruce across the waist sending his enemy back to the ground. Derek rose up with a fist ready to punch Bruce in the face but Bruce held up his right arm and from his sleeve black smoke sprayed out and into his face blinding him.

"GAHHH!" shouted Derek grabbing his eyes. Bruce lifted his foot and delivered a powerful kick to his stomach and then with the same foot kicked him in the chin.

**SCHRRRIPPPP!** Went a loud sound. Bruce looked at his foot to see what looked like skin hanging off the tip. He shook the skin off of his foot and looked towards Derek and the neon green glow that was coming from his face.

'_That must be what Damian was talking about…he's radioactive…..I have to get out of here and away from them so I get into my suit'_ Bruce thought to himself rising to his feet.

* * *

Derek felt Bruce's foot connect to his chin followed by the ripping of his synthetic skin as he hit the ground. His jaw was pounding but immediately his hands went to his face and the missing portion of his skin.

'_NOOO!'_ He shouted in his mind seeing the neon glow of true self filter into the office room.

Derek's skin was the least of his worries because at that second he saw Bruce run past him and head for the double doors he entered through.

"NOO! INQUE GET HIM!"

The cane kept giving off electric shocks but since Inque had transformed into a puddle of black ooze on the ground she was able to pull her liquid like body away from the cane.

"INQUE GET HIM!"

* * *

Inque heard the shout and even though she was a puddle on the ground she was able to see clearly and she saw Bruce running towards her and for the door.

"Old Bastard" she growled to herself using her anger to block out the pain from the electric shocks and to pull herself together enough to where she was able to form her arm into a giant sharp spike.

Bruce was running for the door when he suddenly saw Inque' s giant spike of a hand come straight for him from the left, he gritted his teeth and jumped in the air just as the spike was about to strike him. He flipped in the air and then landed on the ground and continued to run for the door on his way to the door Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out several black balls and tossed them to the ground causing thick black smoke to rise masking his exit from Inque and Derek.

**POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!** Went the sound of the smoke bombs which was quickly followed by a thick black smog.

Inque pulled herself together in her battle form and stared at the smoke.

"How the hell did an old man jump like that…and something about him is eerily familiar" she said to herself.

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

Inque turned her head to see Derek holding the right side his face away from her; she looked at him curiously as a neon green glow was coming from his right side as well.

"Pow…." She started.

"GO!"

Inque turned away from him and ran through the black smoke and after Bruce.

* * *

**Stairs**

**SLAM! **Went the sound of the door to the stair case being kicked open. Bruce, as fast as he could ran up the steps that would take him to the roof where he hoped he would have a few seconds to activate his suit.

Bruce's adrenaline was pumping fast through his body, he could here the hard thuds of Inque's feet coming from down the hall and he knew that she would be upon him in a matter of seconds so he had to move quickly.

Bruce's foot hit the bottom of the 3rd flight of stairs when he felt a familiar pain creep into his chest.

"GAHH!" he gasped grabbing his heart. The pain felt as if a venom induced Bane was squeezing his heart with both hands, _'No…..t-too….s-s-oon…..con-cent-trate…'_ he struggled to think. Closing his eyes tightly he concentrated on the pain trying to will it away and while he was doing this his mind brought him back to a time when he first learned the key to controlling pain.

* * *

**Flashback- Years Ago- Japan- Bruce Wayne 19 years old**

"RAH!" shouted the young Bruce Wayne as he grabbed his left foot in agony. He looked at his foot to see angry red burns on his sole, "This is impossible….no one could do this" he growled staring at his sensei.

He and his instructor were outside of the dojo sitting in front of a small circular patch of hot coals. Bruce's sensei turned to him and smiled.

"Impossible you say" he replied in an amused tone before rising to his feet and going towards the hot coals. The sensei stood in front of the coals for a long moment with his eyes closed. Bruce looked at the concentration evident on his master's face and a small look of surprise gripped him as his sensei stepped upon the scorching hot coals.

Bruce could hear the sizzling of flesh a bit but the look of concentration on his master's face never left for one second, there wasn't even a look of discomfort.

"Bruce…..your training with me is nearly complete but before we go any further and I teach you…..my most guarded of secret training you must first master this test. Pain….is a state of mind. It can be controlled, but your Will…has to be strong…it has to be equal too or greater than the pain that you face." His sensei said before stepping off of the coals and holding out his hand towards the coals.

Bruce nodded his head and he stood up again.

'_Will'_ he thought to himself. He took a deep breath and pursed his lips together and walked towards the coals again.

* * *

**Present**

'_M-My….W-Will is strong….my will is strong…..stronger than…the pain'_ Bruce coached in his mind, calling upon the words of his sensei. Slowly….slowly the pain began to ebb away and once it recede he took in a few deep breathes.

**SLAM!**

Bruce looked over the rail to see Inque down below looking up at him, he turned his head towards the door that would lead him to the roof and he resumed his ascent.

* * *

**Roof**

Bruce burst through the door and then closed it.

'_She….saw me come up…..I'll have to go over…the edge'_ he thought while starting towards the edge of the roof.

* * *

**BAM!** The door to the roof was knocked off its hinges and Inque emerged from the stair case. She stared straight ahead of her looking at Bruce.

"Dead end old….AHHHHHH!" she shrieked. Inque wasn't looking where she was going and she stepped in a puddle of water that had formed on the roof from the rain. The elusive assassin looked down at the puddle and then up into the darkened sky, the rain had stopped but it looked like it could start up at any moment. Inque tilted her head down and looked along the roof to see a few dry spots; gathering herself together in her black ooze form she jumped to the right and landed safely in a dry spot, she only stayed in the spot for a second before jumping again and landing in another dry spot along the roof.

* * *

Bruce saw her jumping across the roof in an attempt to land in the few dry spots, looking down he saw that he was in one of the dry spots she was aiming for; pursing his lips together Bruce turned to the left to see a giant puddle of water in the corner edge of the roof and without thinking twice he ran for the water.

* * *

Inque came to a stop right at the edge of the puddle of water and looked at Bruce who looked back at her.

"You're by far….the hardest kill I've had in a while old man. The only other person to give me this kind of trouble is the Gray Ghost"

At that statement Bruce let a small smile quickly grace his lips before it faded away.

"And who is that?" he asked but knowing full well who it was.

"Doesn't matter….all that matter is your death and I'm thinking a 100ft fall is the perfect way for you to die" Inque replied holding up her right hand and turning it into a mallet.

"How will you explain that…..I just woke up one day and jumped off the Wayne-Powers Building?" he asked before smirking "No one would believe it"

"Not my problem….I only kill, I'll let Powers handle the excuses…..Time to die Old Man"

Bruce stood up straight and stared at her with a hard stare.

Inque reared her arm back and then thrusted it forward, her mallet of a hand hit Bruce in the stomach and pushed him over the edge of the building. He hung in the air for a second before gravity took hold and dragged him downwards.

Inque retracted her arm and then let out a sigh.

"Finally, now I can get paid and get the hell out of here" she said to herself. Inque turned around but right as she turned she saw Derek run through the door and onto the roof.

* * *

**Bruce Falling through the Air**

Bruce closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in slight pain, Inque had hit him hard and it took him a long second to recover but he did and he managed to open his eyes. Bruce rolled in the air and he could see the ground coming closer and closer.

"ACTIVATE BATSUIT EXO-PROTOTYPE ALPHA!" he shouted.

**BEEP! BEEP!**

From underneath Bruce's clothing a thick, black and silver mechanical exoskeleton bat-suit burst through and began to cover his body. First the mechanical armor snugly covered his arms and at the end of his wrist produced sharp bat-fins, next was his waist and legs which were snugly covered by the armor and on his ankles a small bat symbol appeared, next his chest was covered snugly and a bat symbol appeared over his chest and finally his head was fully covered with a mechanical bat mask complete with it's own set of horns.

"JET BOOTS!" Batman shouted in a deep mechanized voice. The rockets in the sole of the suit's feet blared to life allowing Batman to straightened up and halt his fall.

The Exo-Prototype suit was a suit he had designed before the current Bat-suit that Terry wore; it was designed to increase a person's agility, stamina, and strength. When he had first created it, it was when he realized that he was getting older and his movements were getting slower and slower and he needed something to give a boost so to speak but the suit put such a strain on him that it was useless in the field. The strain of the Exo-suit also aggravated his heart which is when he first became aware of his degenerative heart disease; luckily though, Lucius Fox had finished his other bat-suit which was much sleeker and less of a strain on his heart.

The reason why he was wearing it now is because when he had made the decision to take care of Powers he knew that the exo-suit and Terry's bat-suit were the only two suits that could withstand the radiation levels that Damian had spoken of, so he had spent the last couple of days making a few tweaks to the exo-suits in hopes of it being able to use it to take down Powers quickly...but he hadn't expected Inque to be present, but it didn't matter to him. He knew that his plan was a long shot and so he put the thought of his heart in the back of his mind and set his focus to stopping Powers and Inque….and he would even if it killed him.

Batman tilted his head upwards and he began to fly back to the roof.

* * *

**Roof**

Derek had his hand on his face attempting to hide the neon glow as he briskly made his way over to Inque, and while he was doing that he was searching every which way for Bruce and to his dread he didn't see him.

"W-Where…..is he?" he asked but having a feeling about what she was going to say.

"He's dead just like you wanted" Inque replied and then shifting into her human form and looking at him, "What the hell is wrong with your face"

Derek dropped his hand from his face and Inque took a small step back because she could see his jaw and face bones along with his neon glow.

"What the hell?"

"You…pushed him over the edge" Derek stated slowly looking at her with hate in his eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with your face?"

"THAT IS NOT WHAT I TOLD YOU TO DO! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO…..SUPPOSED TO…YOU STUPID BITCH!" Derek roared in anger. The anger he was holding back earlier was no longer being held back…it was flowing freely.

**CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!**

Inque's eyes widen as deep cracks started to appear all over his face and more that neon green light poked through.

"YOU INSUFFERABLE COW! HE HAD TO DIE A CERTAIN WAY! IT HAD TO BE AN ACCIDEDNT! NOT BEING THROWN OFF THE FUCKING BUILDING!"

Derek's synthetic skin was being burned away as the seconds ticked on and Inque looked at him at a mixture of curiosity and shock.

"Powers….What are you?"

"I'M PISSED OFFF!" he screamed released a wave of radiation that burned away the rest of his synthetic skin and most of his clothes.

"AHHH!" yelled Inque as she felt the heat wave of intense radiation hit her full blast, she was knocked back and went skidding across the roof landing in a puddle of water, "AHHHHHHH!" she screamed again as she felt the water dissolving her body slightly. She weakly rolled out of the water and attempted to shift into her battle form but the heat and the water was preventing her from doing that…the most she could muster was a mix between her human form and battle form; she tried to pull herself together but she just couldn't.

* * *

**SSSSSSSSSSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZ! **

Inque weakly turned her head to see Derek walking towards her…she looked down at his bare glowing feet to see that as he stepped onto the water on the roof it sizzled and then evaporated.

"Inque…I've been waiting for this for a while now." He said menacingly.

"B-Bastard…." She replied desperately trying to pull herself together, she turned away form him and began to crawl away.

"Oh no Inque you're not going to slither away from this….you brought this upon yourself. Did you think you could bully me…do you know who I am….DO YOU!"

* * *

Inque growled and looked at her left hand that was dripping ink and she gritted her teeth; calling upon all of the concentration she could muster despite the pain in her body and Derek's talking. The gooey and drooping ink pulled together to form a spike; she smirked and whipped around.

"YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" she screamed thrusting her left hand out. Her spiked armed elongated and shot forward. Derek gasped and managed to shift out of the way but she grazed him on the arm drawing neon green blood from him.

A few droplets of blood leaked out of his arm and onto the tiled roof, the blood hit and immediately ate through the material.

"YOU BITCH!" Derek roared in anger while grabbing his arm; in his anger though he unleashed another wave and because Inque was so close she felt another wave of heat hit her.

"AHHHH!"

Derek gritted his teeth and looked down for a moment to see his blood had ate through the roof; letting a smirk grace his lips he cupped some of his highly radioactive blood in his hands and he took a step towards Inque.

"The only one whose dead….is you Inque. HAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed getting ready to throw his cupped blood unto her.

**THUD!**

Derek turned around to the sound and his eye bones widen which meant that he was shocked at who he saw behind him; his eyes zeroed in on the symbol in the middle of the person's chest and then his eye bones narrowed.

"Batman"

* * *

Batman landed on the roof and he was immediately drawn to the half clothed and neon green Derek Powers.

'_Radiation levels are off the charts….Damian was downplaying his exposure.'_ Batman thought to himself.

"BATMAN!" shouted Derek again turning to him.

"Derek Powers, I'm taking you in" Batman stated.

"HAHAHAHA RIGHT!" Derek replied.

He concentrated and a held up his hand, to his mild surprise a ball of pure radiation formed in the palm of his hand. He looked at it and without hesitation he threw the ball of radiation at his enemy.

**BAM! **Went the sound of the radiation blast hitting the mechanical armor. Batman took a step back from the hit and shook his head, he looked up to see Powers walking towards him his hands glowing bright green.

Derek threw another radiation blast but Batman dove out of the way, he landed in a crouch and prepared himself to move again. He flicked his wrist and the suit produced a batarang with thick wire attached to it.

"RAH!" shouted Derek throwing another radiation blast. Batman dodged that attack and threw out the batarang.

The batarang sailed towards Derek and wrapped around him tightly; he looked down at the tight rope that was around him and he began to struggle.

* * *

Batman watched him struggle against the rope.

"Computer analyze" he said in a low voice. The eye sockets turn blue and zoomed in on Derek who continued to struggle but suddenly he started to glow more and more.

* * *

Derek flexed his muscles and his radiations flashed wildly burning the thick rope around him easily. He growled and looked up at Batman who was staring back at him.

"Freeze Capsule" Batman said and just like the batarang, the wrist of the exo-prototype produced a handheld blue capsule that Batman held tightly in his palm. He narrowed his eyes and then dashed forward.

Derek narrowed his also at the sight of Batman charging towards him, his jaw bones clinched together while he held up both of his hands.

"DIE!" he screamed thrusting both of his hands forward unleashing twin beams of pure radiation.

Batman saw the beams coming but he kept running and at the last possible second he dropped to the ground and slid under the twin beams of radiation. His finger flicked the top of the freeze capsule in his palm he tossed it at Derek's feet.

**KRSHH!** Went the sound of the capsule hitting the ground.

Ice formed on the ground and it traveled towards Derek's feet covering his neon glowing feet in thick solid ice. The ice continued on up to and then over his legs, then his waist, chest arms and finally his head.

"N….." started Derek but he didn't get a chance to finish because of the ice covering his face.

Batman heaved a sigh and stood up; he looked at the frozen Derek Powers closely with the sensors in the lenses of his suit feeding him information.

'_Sensors say he's frozen but he's melting the ice….his radiation is still too strong. Maybe another Ice capsule...'_ he started to think but his attention was drawn to the ground.

The ground beneath his feet was starting to rumble uncontrollably.

**RUMBLE! RUMBL! RUBMLE! RUMBLE!**

Batman took a few steps back as suddenly half of the tiles on the roof were violently lifted up into the air.

Batman eyes widen as he saw giant wave of black ooze holding the tiles.

'_Inque'_ he thought.

Inque's face formed in the middle of the giant wave and a snarl was evident on her features.

"DIE BATMAN!" she yelled tossing several of the concrete tiles in his direction.

* * *

Batman reared his hand back and punched the first tile that came flying towards him smashing it to bits but the second tile smack him in the face.

"OOMPH!" he grunted but he knew he couldn't let that stop him. He quickly shook his head and ducked under the next concrete tile that came flying at him.

* * *

Inque tossed tile after tile at Batman but she was only able to hit him with every other tile. She narrowed her eyes and just tried harder. While Batman and Derek were fighting she took the opportunity to gather her strength and force herself back together and through her strong will she did just that. She managed to pull herself together and she was going to get the hell out of dodge but if she did that then she wouldn't get her money and all of the time she had spent in Neo-Gotham would have been for nothing. She would be leaving empty handed and that would not be good for her reputation either, so she had made up her mind to do two things; the first was to let Batman dispose of Powers….she knew that she couldn't beat him because of his heat but she knew that Batman could defeat him and then once Batman had tired himself out by fighting Powers she would swiftly come in and kill him. She might not be able to get her money but a consolation prize would be her being able to claim that she killed him.

'_Die you pointy eared freak'_ she thought to herself flinging another concrete tile.

* * *

"GAH!" Batman grunted feeling a tile hit him in the face again. He shook the cob webs out of his head again and jumped to the side avoiding three more tiles; as he hit the ground he held out his right arm and from the top of his wrist several mini-bats fired out and then imbedded themselves into the giant wave of black ooze that was Inque.

The mini-bats each gave a synchronize beep before they all exploded.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!**

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed in agony.

A giant glob of black ooze landed on the dry concrete that was underneath the uprooted tiles and it pulled together to form Inque's battle form.

**THUD! THUD!**

Inque turned her head to see Batman running towards her, she reared her head back as she saw him throw a capsule at her. Inque gathered her wits and her body and managed to jump away just as the ice capsule hit her previous spot.

'_Damn it….she's fast'_ Batman thought to himself as he saw her leap away. He followed her with his eyes and he saw her land a few feet away. He got another freeze capsule and he threw it at her. Inque saw the second one coming and managed to slither out of the way.

Inque slithered across the ground and straight for Batman who prepared himself for her. Inque closed the distance between the two of them in a matter of seconds and leapt up with several tendrils lashing and slashing at her foe.

Batman used the metal fins on his wrist to block her powerful and sharp slashes.

**CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!** Over and over again Inque slashed at him and he managed to block her attacks.

Inque growled loudly and turned into ooze on the ground slithered in closer to Batman and wrapped a tendril around his ankle and lifted him up in the air; with her strength she slammed him down on the ground

**BANG!** Went the sound of him hitting the concrete roof; Inque hoisted him up again and slammed him down once more. She hoisted him up again and was getting ready to slam him again but that's when she heard the beeping sound.

Inque looked down to see a beeping batarang at her feet.

"OH SHI….."

**KABOOOOOOM!** The explosion blew her apart again and as a result she let go of Batman who fell onto the roof.

* * *

While Batman and Inque were locked in an intense brawl the ice around Derek started to melt faster and faster. Cracks formed along the Ice and Derek attempted to move his limbs. His jaws bones clinched together tightly and he began to glow more and more making the thick ice melt even faster.

* * *

'_Definitely…passed….my prime'_ Batman thought to himself trying to get up but it was proving to be very difficult, _'But I still got enough to defeat her' _

**DEET! DEET! **

Batman heard the beeping and a message flashed across his lenses.

'_Weapons Malfunction…..Weapons offline…attempting to reboot'_ he read in his mind _'Great'_

Batman pushed himself up and managed to stand to his feet. He looked around to see black ooze everywhere but no sign of Inque.

"Where is she?"

Batman looked to the left and to the right and he didn't see her but then he looked up to see her in the air with two spikes heading right for him.

Batman jumped out of the way and that's exactly what she was counting on; Inque hit the ground and then leapt at him again. One of her tentacles shot out and wrapped around him and she then pulled the rest of her body towards him and wrapped around him constricting tightly hoping to squeeze the life right out of him….and she was succeeding.

"ERGHHHH!" Batman grunted feeling Inque constricting her body tighter and tighter, she was squeezing so tightly they both heard his metal suit groaning a bit.

"I'm gonna pop you like a fucking top" Inque growled in his ear.

'_S-S-She's…n-not….lying. Can't…..breathe….fight it…..f-fight it old man'_ Batman coached trying to flex his muscles against Inque's tight hold.

Suddenly the roar of a jet flew over head. Inque looked up to see a jet flying over Wayne-Powers roof and it unleashed several rockets into the city.

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOM! KABOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

"HOLY HELL!" shouted Inque turning to see smoke rising up in the sky and a fire coming from a collapsed building that wasn't too far away from Wayne-Powers but her distracted mind caused her to slacken ever so lightly and that was all Batman needed to flex his muscles and break free of her hold.

Batman took in a deep breath and then turned and punched her in the face, Inque was stunned for a second before she recovered and lashed out with one of her tendrils. She tried to strike him but he caught the offending appendage and gripped it tightly.

"You never learn do you" she said while making the arm Batman was gripping tightly slither around his arm, she hoisted him up and formed a spike with her other hand.

"Actually I do" Batman replied before an electrical current flowed from his suit and into Inque.

**ZAAAAAAAAAAP!**

"ERRRRRRGAHHHHHHHHHH!" she yelled in agony feeling electricity bombard her body again.

She immediately let him go and weakly backed away. Batman landed on his feet and pressed his attacked. He held up both his fist and they crackled with electricity. He came across with an electrified right hook and the right hook was quickly followed by an electrified left, then a straight punch to the stomach, next a haymaker to the chin and finally and powerful right cross that knocked her down to the ground. Each shot sent a tremendous surge of electricity through Inque's body and she was helpless to do anything but to take each shot as they came.

Batman stood over her with his fist still sparking.

"B-B-Bast-ard….." Inque groaned.

Batman raised his hand getting ready to deliver the last shot that would knock her out when he felt the mind numbing pain of heart again.

"GAH!" he gasped loudly a hand going to his heart. Instead of the pain being a squeezing feeling this time it felt as if his heart was being stabbed by a thousand knives. The pain hit him so fiercely and suddenly that he couldn't even breathe nor could he hear anything, so he missed the loud cracking and crumbling of the ice that surrounded Derek. Batman missed Derek getting free but he didn't miss the bright neon glow, he turned to the glow just in time to see Derek take a stop forward.

"GRAHHHHHHHHH!" yelled Derek as he burst from his icy prison; he stared straight ahead at Batman and at the down Inque. He saw the both of them as his anger rose and rose and the result was that he glowed brighter and brighter releasing more and more radiation.

* * *

Derek was glowing so brightly that Batman had to squint his eyes and as he did that a message flashed across his lens and the message read**: DANGER RADIATION LEVELS OFF THE CHARTS.**

"WILL THE BOTH OF YOU JUST DIE!" he screamed unleashing the biggest wave of radiation he could muster. The radiation he released consumed everything on the roof, Batman and Inque included. Derek's radiation emission was so intense that it ate through an entire section of the roof causing it to crumble and cave inwards.

* * *

**Wayne Manor- Batcave**

The batmobile pulled into the bat-cave and came to a complete stop. The top hatch opened and Batman jumped out of the vehicle and landed on the ground, he took off his mask revealing the face of Terry McGinnis. Terry ran a hand through his wet hair and walked towards the bat-computer where he knew Bruce would be, Terry saw the turned chair and he quickly made his way over.

"Hey, I'm back so I…" he started but when he turned the chair around Bruce wasn't in his usual spot.

"Bruce isn't here"

Terry turned to the right to see Yinn making his way over to him.

"Where is he then Yinn?" Terry asked.

"I can't say" Yinn replied

"Can't say or won't say?" Terry asked.

"Can't, because I do not know where he went but I do know…..that he isn't coming back"

"WHAT!" Terry shouted, he immediately went to the bat-computer and he typed in a few keys that he had seen his mentor do about a 100 times.

"Input Command" the computer stated.

"Computer Locate Bruce Wayne"

The computer followed the command and a map of Neo-Gotham City pulled up.

* * *

**DEET! DEET! DEET!** Went a sound that originated from Yinn. He reached into his pocket and he pulled out a small compact video phone, he pressed the single button and an image of a hooded Damian Wayne aka The Gray Ghost appeared and he looked a bit worse for wear.

"Master Wayne"

"Yinn….I need you to pick me up"

"Are you alright"

"I've been better…look I lost my utility belt"

"You lost it?"

"Long story….look I lost it and it had all of my…"

"WATCH OUT!" came a loud shrill voice.

Damian turned his head just in time to be tackled from the side by some sort of beastly looking creature.

"MASTER WAYNE!" Yinn shouted but the line had already been cut.

**BEEP! **

"Got em…he's at Wayne-Powers….what is he doing there?

"**WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!"** came a loud alarm on the bat-computer.  
Terry jumped a bit at the alarm and moved his hands away from the computer.

"What did I touch?"

"Nothing" Yinn replied walking to the computer, he looked at the screen and he could see the warning signs were pointing to the red dot at Wayne-Powers. Yinn looked down at the bat-computer and he searched the console for a second and then hit a blue button. The warning alarm stopped and then zoomed in on the red dot while bringing up several lines of information. Terry leaned a bit closer trying to read the display.

"Warning…..vitals falling…heart failure imminent" Terry whispered and then he was hit with realization "He went to confront Powers by himself…..GODDAMN IT!" Terry yelled quickly standing up from his seat. He wasted no time in making a dash towards the bat-mobile.

"McGINNIS YOU MUST PICK UP DAMIAN!" Yinn yelled while running after him.

"I DON"T NEED HIS HELP!" Terry shouted back.

"HE NEEDS YOURS!"

"Yinn….Damian can take care of himself"

"He looked hurt…badly; despite his resourcefulness he still needs a hand from time to time. Once you help him the two of you can confront Powers"

Terry gritted his teeth for a second but then he saw the pleading look in Yinn's eyes and he reluctantly gave in, he nodded his head and then put on his mask. Yinn tossed his video phone receiver at him and he deftly caught the device.

"That will lead you to him….now go you're wasting time…NOW GO!" Yinn commanded.

Batman jumped into the batmobile and quickly started the engine; the vehicle lifted up off of the ground and then rocketed out of the bat-cave leaving Yinn all alone. He released a sigh and took a breath.

"I've bought you a little more time Mr. Wayne…just enough time to make your last stand."

* * *

**Wayne-Powers- Bottom Floor**

Batman layed buried amongst the rubble in complete agony. His heart causing him pain that he never thought existed, he could barely move, barely breath and barely see. He scrunched up his face in pain calling upon his training but his body wasn't responding.

'_C-C-Come on…..b-block…..o-out…j-just…a little longer'_ he thought but a sharp pain struck his chest, "GAH!" he shouted.

* * *

Thick black ooze slithered from out of the rubble and to a clear portion of the ground floor. The ooze gathered together to form a semi-human looking Inque who wasn't looking too well either. She was missing huge chunks of her body, burned away by Derek's radiation. Her left eye and part of the left side of her face was missing and in its place was a giant hole, her lips were drooping and off center with black ooze dripping from her lips, her arms were misshapen and uneven and her legs were same way as well.

She laid on the ground floor looking up with her right eye at the giant and massive hole in the ceiling. A hole that led all the up to the roof…..about 100 stories up. The elusive assassin looked over at a pile of rubble to see Batman trying to crawl from under it, she snarled a bit at him wanting to kill him but in her current state she was lucky to still be moving.

_'F-Face it…y-you've lost this one….run…and live to kill him another day…Powers too'_ she thought before turning away from him and allowing herself to turn into black ooze. Inque then slithered away.

* * *

**DING!** Went the sound of the Elevator arriving on the bottom floor of Wayne-Powers. Derek stepped off the elevator and he stared in front of him at the destroyed bottom floor. Rubble was everywhere; he looked up to see the giant hole in the ground that he created when he unleashed his radiation.

"HA…HA…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Derek laughed as he continued to look up and through the hole and into the night sky.

**CRASH!**  
Derek lowered his head to see Batman crawling from under giant pile of rubble. Powers stared at the beaten and dented metal armor that was still cling to his body, Derek's jaw bones turned upwards in a smile as she stalked over to the badly swaying Batman.

* * *

'_K-Keep….fighting….i-t-t….GAH!_' he thought, his hands shooting to his heart. A neon glow caught his attention out the corner of his dented mask. He slowly turned to the glow in time to receive a blast of radiation to the chest, a piece of his armor melted and caved inward.

"ARGH!" he shouted.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Derek gearing up for another blast.

* * *

**Not Too Far away**

The Gray Ghost stood over a dead Zander in a mixture of shock and relief….he was breathing heavily and bleeding from several deep lacerations on his body, not to mention his cloak was sliced in half.

"Are you okay" came a voice from behind. The Gray Ghost turned to see Detective Montoya Bullock who was sporting several bruises, cuts and burns of her own walking towards him.

"Fine….thanks for the save"

"I owed you" she replied.

The two beaten individuals stood among the ruins of an entire block within Neo-Gotham.

"God…..today has been once of the weirdest days of my life" Montoya said releasing a sigh of relief and then looking around at all of the destruction.

"Today wasn't even remotely close to my weirdest day…to me it's just another day." The Gray Ghost replied.

"Well….you certainly live an interesting life"

"You don't know the half of it" he said letting out a grunt.

Suddenly the wind around them kicked up heavily and the two of them were forced to look upwards. The Gray Ghost eyes widen as he saw the batmobile descend downwards and touch the ground. The top hatch open and Batman stood up out of the vehicle.

"YOU ALRIGHT!" he shouted.

"What are you doing here?" Gray Ghost responded.

"NEVERMIND THAT WE GOTTA GO!"

"Why"

"BATMAN IS IN TROUBLE!"

The Gray Ghost stopped for a second as he repeated what was just said to him but it only took him a split second to realize that he was talking about his father.

"Listen Detective I have to go just stay here and wait for back up….I'll put in a call"

"How is Batman in trouble and he's right there?" she asked him quickly.

"Different Batman" The Gray Ghost replied running towards the batmobile. He leapt in the air and he landed inside of the vehicle; the top half closed and the bat-mobile rose up into the air and flew off.

**THROOOM! THROOOOM!** Went the sound of the thunder followed by heavy rain fall.

* * *

**Wayne-Powers**

"GAH!" shouted Batman feeling another sharp stab of pain in his chest followed by a radiation blast from Powers. His armor was failing and he was starting to feel the heat of Derek's radiation attacks.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Did you really think that you could waltz in her and take me in" Derek taunted hitting him with another blast of radiation, "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

Derek thrusted his hands forward and a beam of radiation slammed into Batman but he didn't fall he stood on his feet. Derek stomped over to him and grabbed him by the front of his armor, he held up his right fist making it glow neon green. Derek slugged Batman across the jaw as hard as he could denting and melting the face mask a bit.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!"

* * *

**Flashback- Years Ago- Bat-Cave- Bruce Wayne 25 years old **

Bruce slipped on his right black glove, followed by his left; he took a deep breath and balled his hands up into a fist tightly; feeling satisfied he unclenched his fingers and then held out his right hand.

"Alfred…..my mask"

Alfred, who was standing behind his ward/employer of sorts briefly, looked down at the black mask in his hands before walking forward and placing the mask in Bruce's hand. Bruce took the mask looking at it intently for a second before he slipped it over his head…completing his uniform…..completing him…. he turned around to face Alfred. Alfred backed away in a mix of fright and shock.

"My God" he whispered, he swallowed hard trying to find his words, "M-Master Bruce…..if you don't mind me asking…what are you going to call yourself"

He narrowed his eyes a bit and walked past Alfred before stopping and glancing at Alfred over his shoulder.

"I'm….."

* * *

**Present**

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!"

Derek reared his hand back about to strike him again when a hand shot out and grabbed his offending fist. Derek struggled but he couldn't move his fist. Bruce straightened up to his full height….pushing the pain that wracked his body….that wracked his being from is mind and he leaned in close to Derek and he said two words…..two words that sent chills down his enemies spine.

"I'M…BATMAN!"

Derek's eye bones widen as Batman's head came forward and head butted him in the face as hard as he could. The weakened hero held up his fist and they sparked with electricity. He lashed out with a hard right that nailed Derek in the jaw sending electricity coursing through his body; he then came across with a left…then an electrified uppercut. He grabbed him and pulled him in for a knee to the stomach, he then came in with another hard uppercut. Derek took several steps back and he was swaying.

Batman grabbed his chest in pain but he steeled himself for his last attack, he sucked in a breath and came in with a powerful punch. Derek was struck directly in the face sending him flying back and to the ground hard.

"Oomph" he grunted as he hit the floor. Derek saw stars and he tried to get up but Batman's attacks were hard and powerful.

**CRACK!**

Derek heard the sound and he saw several precariously hanging pieces of the ceiling hanging over him.

**SNAP!**

"Oh no"

**BOOM!** Went the sound of the rubble landing on top of him pinning him down.

* * *

Batman saw the rubble land on top of Derek and he knew that the fight was finally over.

'_God….the pain'_ he thought weakly. Batman turned around and he saw the exit to the building….he had this overwhelming need to be outside. Slowly…ever so slowly he made his way to the exit…each step he took more agonizing than the last but he pushed onward…he forced every bone….every muscle is body forward.

* * *

**Outside**

**THROOOM! THROOOM! **

Batman finally made his way outside at the first thing he noticed with the heavy rain that was falling down. As he found himself outside he dropped down on both knees with both hands clutching to his chest.

"I-I-I…c-can't" he whispered before collapsing on the ground face first.

* * *

**In the air**

"COME ON MCGINNIS!" Damian shouted.

"SHUT UP! WHERE ALMOST THERE JUST ANOTHER BLOCK!" Batman shouted back.

The batmobile weaved in-between two buildings and then dead ahead was the Wayne-Powers building. The screen flashed a message and then zoomed in on a figure exiting the building.

"OH MY GOD!" shouted Batman and the Gray Ghost at the same time. Batman directed the batmobile down towards Bruce who collapsed on the ground.

* * *

**Down Below- Few seconds later**

The Gray Ghost landed on the ground next to his fallen father and he gently touched him.

"GAHH!" The Gray Ghost shouted. He looked at his hands to see his gloves her burnt a bit _'Powers radiation'_ he thought. Damian gritted his teeth and grabbed his fallen father and turned him over. He pulled back his hood and then pried the armor mask off of his father's head and once the mask was off Damian could see the radiation burns, the bruises and the blood pouring out of his mouth.

"Oh My God Bru…Father" he whispered.

Damian placed two fingers to his father's neck searching for a pulse and he found a very very faint one that only getting fainter.

Damian growled to himself and as carefully as he could scooped his fallen father into his arms and lifted him up.

* * *

**Neo-Gotham-The Slums**

The Batmobile flew through the slums of Neo-Gotham City. The slums were left over housing complexes and buildings from the ruins of Old Gotham. Batman looked through the screen at the rundown neighborhoods and he scrunched his eyes up.

"Why are we here, we need to get him to a hospital" he snapped.

"NO! They can't help him" Damian replied turning to Batman, "He needs help from someone who knows about his condition"

"Here in the slums?"

"Look…..there….set the car down over there…and cloak it" Damian commanded.

Batman growled a bit but complied; he pulled back on the levers and gently set down the batmobile.

* * *

**Secret Hospital- Office of Dr. Leslie Thompkins**

"What did I say" came the old and aged voice of Dr. Leslie Thompkins, she was in her late-80s but she was still alive and treating patients in the slums of Neo-Gotham City. She was in a wheelchair barking orders at her assistant and her _'daughter'_ of sorts Dr. Carolyn Thompkins.

Carolyn was an attractive woman somewhere in her early to mid 30s; she had dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and beautifully toned fair skin. She had a slim but curvy build and was wearing a blue dress with a white lab coat.

"I don't know mom you say a lot of things" Carolyn replied back folding her arms across her chest.

"Don't sass me young lady"

"Whatever" Carolyn replied rolling her eyes.

**BAM!**

Both women jumped at the sound and turned to the doors to their office to see Damian with Bruce in his arms and Batman.

"What the Hell!" Carolyn gasped.

"BRUCE!" Leslie shouted seeing him and seeing his condition.

"His pulse is faint" Damian stated walking further into the room.

"CAROLYN READY ROOM 3…DAMIAN FOLLOW HER!"

While Damian was carrying his father he heard him groan in pain, he looked down at his father to see his eyes cracked open a bit.

"D-Da...mian"

"Just hold on…..you'll be fine"

"Da…"

"Bruce…..Father…stay with me"

* * *

**Somewhere**

"STAY WITH ME!" Damian's voice echoed.

Bruce's eyes suddenly snapped open and he took in a few deep breaths but he was immediately bombarded by a bright white light; he shielded his eyes from the light and then sat up.

"Where am I? And why is it so bright?" he asked still shielding his eyes.

"It is a bit bright isn't it….but you get used to it" came a voice from behind him. Bruce turned around to see two people standing behind him but he could only make out their silhouette, there was a bright white light behind them blocking him from having a clear view. He stood up and prepared himself for anything.

'_Two figures….from what I can tell…one man one female…be ready for anything'_ he thought before addressing the figures "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Whoa easy Bruce….easy, everything is alright no one is going to attack you" the male figure said holding up his hands in a non threatening manor.

"How do you know my name?"

"Well, we did name you" the female figure said before walking forward and out of the bright light. Bruce stared at the woman and his eyes lit up in recognition.

"M-Mom" he whispered.

Standing before him was none other than his mother Martha Wayne, looking like she did the last time he had seen her…which was right before she was murdered before his very eyes. Only she wasn't covered in blood nor did she have a look of horror on her face, she had a look of happiness and warmth.

"Mom"

"Oh Bruce!" she gasped running over to him and throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him as tightly as she could, "My God….I've been waiting to hug you for so long now my son…my beautiful baby boy."

Bruce looked down at the woman that was hugging him and he was at a lost for words for a second. The last thing he remembered was fighting Derek Powers and now he was hugging a woman that looked alot like his mother.

"Thomas get over here."

The male figure stepped out of the bright white light and revealed himself to be none other than Thomas Wayne...Bruce's father; and just like Martha, he looked just how he did right before he was murdered, only he wasn't covered in blood either and the look of pain on his face was gone…replaced with a look of pride and strength.

Thomas walked over to his wife and son and he wrapped his arms around the both of them. Seeing the two of them…and feeling the two of them sent a feeling joy through Bruce's entire body. He briefly closed his eyes and relished in that feeling….the feeling joy, a feeling that had been lost to him for decades now, but as quickly as the feeling came it left him and his great logical mind took hold. He broke the hug and back away from the both of them.

"This is a trick…..my mind playing tricks on me, could be an effect of the radiation…or…or something, but this isn't real." He stated forcibly "I've been here before….seen the two of you before and it turned out to be an apparition…a demon trying to take hold of me"

"Bruce my son calm down" Martha said in a calm soft voice, "We're not apparitions….and we're not demons….we're your parents. Your real Mother and Father"

"No you're not" he retorted.

Thomas heaved a sigh and carefully took a few steps forward, Bruce lashed out with a roundhouse kick but Thomas effortlessly blocked the attack, Bruce growled and came in with a quick punch but Thomas blocked the attack and pulled Bruce in for another hug. He struggled wildly but Thomas held onto him tightly….as tightly as he could. Thomas turned his head slightly so his mouth was close to his son's ear.

"Bruce, why do we fall?"

Bruce instantly stopped his struggling as he heard the question, a question that only one person had ever asked him. It was right after he had fallen into the well and he saw the bat for the first time.

"Why do we fall?"

"So we can learn to pick ourselves up" he answered.

Bruce pulled away a bit and he looked into the man's blue eyes….eyes that were similar to his own. After years of honing his senses with battle after battle it had taught him to be sensitive to danger; being able to sort of sense when something was amiss or out of place but those senses weren't picking up anything. He didn't feel any danger or threat, all he felt was…joy. Bruce took in a deep breath and continued to stare into the man's eyes but Thomas could see that his son was starting to come around.

"That's it son" Thomas coached.

Bruce took in several more breaths before he shifted his eyes to Martha who had a few tears running down her face; he looked at her and she looked at him and then nodded her head.

"It's us Bruce, it's really us"

"It is" he stated turning back to his father and wrapping his around him and hugging him back.

"HAHAHA…that's right son" Thomas replied hugging him back, Martha moved over and wrapped her arms around the both of them. The family of three stood there hugging each other for what felt like an eternity but none of them cared because this is a moment that they had been waiting for…the moment where their family was once again complete.

"HAHAHAHAHA! It's great to see you again son…seems you inherited my good looks" said Thomas breaking the hug and getting a better look at him.

"He has inherited both of our good looks Thomas, but he's got my smarts" Martha chimed pinching Bruce on the cheek affectionately.

Bruce grinned a grin and looked between the two of them; he had so much to say….so much he wanted to tell them that he didn't even know where to start. He opened his mouth but as his lips parted the gears in hi mind turned and it was the he was hit with realization again….and his grin started to melt away.

"What's wrong Bruce?" Martha asked.

"If it's really the two of you….then that means…..I'm dead"

Thomas and Martha briefly looked at each other before tuning back to Bruce.

"No, you're not dead yet son" Martha started.

"It's more like….you're still deciding" Thomas finished.

"Still deciding what?" he asked.

"Whether you want to live or die" Thomas replied.

* * *

**Real World**

Damian and Terry finished taking off the armor that was on Bruce and they both gently laid him down on the medical table. They both grimaced at the radiation burns on his body.

"MOVE!" shouted Carolyn as she rushed towards the heavily injured Bruce Wayne; she shined a light in his eyes and then quickly injected a substance into his arm.

"Did you inject with the radiation drug"

"Yes" Carolyn replied before shinning a light in Bruce's eyes.

"Carolyn he's crashing….he's going into cardiac arrest" Leslie exclaimed.

"Dammit" Carolyn cursed, "I need a crash cart"

Leslie turned to Terry and pointed at him.

"YOU! WHEEL THAT CART BEHIND YOU OVER HERE!" she commanded. Terry turned to see a cart behind him with a defibrillator on it and he wasted no time in going over to the cart and wheeling it to Carolyn and Leslie. Leslie grabbed some gel off of the cart while Carolyn grabbed the paddles and turned the machine on; Leslie then smeared the gel on the paddles.

"CLEAR!" Carolyn shouted before placing the paddles on Bruce's chest.

* * *

**Somewhere**

"So I'm not dead….just dying" Bruce surmised.

His parents nodded their heads and he pursed his lips into a thin line.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"We can't tell you Bruce…you'll have to make that decision for yourself" said Thomas.

"I want to stay here with the two of you" He answered quickly which put a smile on his parents face.

"Well Bruce, if that's what you want…..then take my hand" said Martha holding out her hand.

Bruce's lips turned upwards in a smile and he reached out for her hand but right before their fingers could meet, a black gloved hand grabbed Bruce's wrist and yanked it away. The three of them turned their heads to see Batman standing there in all of his intimidating glory boring a hole into Bruce with his serious and angry eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" he growled gripping his wrist tightly.

* * *

**Real World**

"DAMN IT! Nothing….Mom charge to 250"

Leslie turned the dial on the defibrillator and then nodded her head.

"CLEAR!" Carolyn shouted before placing the paddles on Bruce's chest again.

* * *

**Somewhere**

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE MISSION!?" Batman snapped.

"I haven't forgotten anything" Bruce replied snatching his arm away.

"We're still needed in Gotham" Batman stated.

Bruce stared at him for a second before looking towards his parents; he released a sigh and then turned back to his former self.

"No, Batman is needed in Gotham"

"You are Batman"

"No, I was Batman….but not anymore" Bruce replied in a low voice, "My time as Batman is over…it's been over for a while...…it's time for someone else to take over"

"You're being ridiculous if you are referring to McGinnis being Batman, he's not ready yet. He'll be killed within a year if we aren't there" said Batman shaking his head.

"Which is why Damian will be there with him" Bruce replied.

Batman shook his head in a disapproving motion.

"He's not going to stay Bruce…..he won't stay. He hates you….and he's formed his own path as the Gray Ghost"

"I know…..but, I have faith in him" Bruce said in a reassuring voice.

"We don't operate on faith….we operate on logic and the logical thing to do is go back to Gotham…..now take my hand" Batman demanded.

* * *

**Real World**

"CHARGE TO 300! CLEAR!"

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Bruce looked down at the gloved hand and then he let his eyes travel along the armored arms, the boots, the cape, the utility, the cowl and then finally the bat symbol on Batman's chest…..the symbol that had defined his entire being for the majority of his life. The more he stared at the symbol the more his mind roamed over all of his adventures and events in his life that that symbol brought. He remembered the fights, the villains, the destruction, the death and finally he remembered the darkness. He had lived most of his life shrouded in darkness and he had welcomed it; he looked to his parents and the smiles on their faces and he couldn't help but smile as well, this was his chance to get out of the darkness that he had thrusted upon himself since his decision to become the man that was standing before him.

"Bruce we don't have much time…..take my hand…NOW!" Batman exclaimed. Bruce slowly turned back to him and smiled at him.

"No"

"No!?"

"Like I said…..my time…..our time as Batman is over, but the legacy we left behind will continue. Batman will watch over Gotham….it just won't be us"

"You're making a mistake. Gotham will fall without us…" Batman started before being interrupted.

"Damian and Terry will be there….I know they will….and so will Barbara. Gotham is in good hands. And I'm not making a mistake…I'm making the best decision of my life. It's time for me to come out of the darkness and step into the light, I've been putting Gotham first my whole life….now I'm putting me first, and when I say me I mean me…..not you. I don't need you anymore"

Upon hearing those words Batman narrowed his eyes and stared Bruce in his eyes.

"You do need me"

"No, I did need you, I've needed you since I was about 8 years old, but now….now I don't, I can take it from here" Bruce replied.

Batman straightened up and heaved a sigh.

"Do you truly mean that?" he asked

Bruce smiled and then placed a hand on his armored shoulder.

"I do"

Batman looked into his eyes for a long long minute before nodding his head, he pulled his cape closer to his body and then he turned around and began to walk away. Bruce watched him continue to walk away until he disappeared into the light.

"Bruce" Martha called out; he turned to her and he smiled at her, "It's time to go"

"Where are we going?" he asked but already knowing the answer.

Thomas walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Bruce we're going to a place where Alfred and all of your friends have been patiently waiting, where going to a place where…..you can finally….finally be happy,."

"I'd like that" he said to his father.

"Well then son…let's go" Martha chimed linking her and Bruce's hand "And we'll go together"

His smile on grew bigger as he and his parents began to walk forward and towards the bright white light. The family of three walked closer and closer and as they neared the light only grew brighter, but unlike before it didn't bother Bruce's eyes, in fact, he welcomed it. Bruce tilted his head up just as the light expanded and engulfed the three of them and taking them onward and into the unknown.

* * *

**Present**

Terry, Damian, Carolyn and Leslie stood over Bruce's prone body,

"I'm calling it" Carolyn said putting the paddles down and then covering Bruce with a white sheet, "Time of Death…11:30pm"

Terry, Damian and Leslie were in a state of disbelief; in disbelief because Bruce Wayne, The Dark Knight, The Batman himself, was….**Dead**.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review: Hey Readers, it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments. I'd first like to start off by apologizing again…I know I know this chapter story has been long over due for an update and that many of you have been waiting for this chapter since March or May. I hope…no I pray that this chapter was worth the very long wait. I hope you patient and loyal readers enjoyed this chapter and the death of Bruce Wayne. I know that many of you may not agree with him being killed off but I think that it's better this way. I'm following the cartoon but at the same time I'm going off on my own thing. Also, I know that Derek Powers and Inque are more of Terry's villains than Bruce's but I thought that it would be better for Bruce to go out in epic fashion with a battle with them, but they both are responsible for Bruce's death which will be a driving force for Terry in the still in development Batman Beyond Volume 2. Also, I hope Bruce was in character, I tussled with his dialogue for a while and I think I struck a good balance and hopefully stayed truthful to his character. Anyway I hope the fight lived up to everyone's expectations and that Bruce went out like a warrior. I sincerely ask that you readers please review, again I know it's taken a long time and that's my fault…if anyone has any questions, comments, rants, or raves feel free to leave it in the review or send it to me in a PM message and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying Later…**

**Ps: I promise that you won't have to wait 6 months for another update, I'm currently typing the next chapter as we speak so just bear with me and I'll get it out to you as fast as I can…this story only has 2 chapters left…the next chapter and then the epilogue and that's it….so I hope to see you readers there. This is me saying Later…..**

**Next up: Death of a Ghost and Rise of a Legacy**


	25. Death of a Ghost and Rise of a Legacy

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these characters ALL CREDIT goes to DC. DC owns everything I repeat I do not own these characters. I am not making any money of this story I can promise you. So please do not sue me I ask again please do not sue me. **

**Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 and as Promised I'm back with another chapter in my Batman Beyond story and it didn't take 6 months LOL! This is basically the last chapter of this story….of this volume after this chapter is the epilogue were I attend to the final story threads while at the same time opening up new ones. I hope all of you enjoyed the last chapter and the Death of Bruce Wayne which will be addressed in this chapter and the next chapter. Anyway, enough of me talking but before I go I would just like to say Read, Review (A writer's Main source of Motivation) and most importantly ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Death of a Ghost and Rise of a Legacy**

**Neo-Gotham Slums- Office of Dr. Leslie Thompkins**

Damian Wayne took a few steps forward and he reached out and touched the sheet that covered the lifeless body of his father Bruce Wayne. He grabbed the edge of the white sheet and he pulled it back letting his eyes roam over his dead father again with a stoic expression on his face. Damian's eyes locked onto his face and several emotions swirled within him but the emotion he settled on…focused on the most was anger. Anger, was an emotion that Damian had known for a long time; it was an emotion he was very comfortable with, and anger had been a part of him since before he could remember and the majority of it was centered on the man that lied before him….his father.

'_For the longest time…for I don't know how many years. I've always wanted you to die, for you to be dead and now…..you are'_ he thought to himself still staring unblinkingly at him. Damian unconsciously balled up him fist_, 'I've finally gotten my wish…..so shouldn't I be happy instead of just being…so…._' he started before he felt soft withered hands wrap around his balled up fist.

Damian turned to the right to see Dr. Leslie Thompkins; she looked up at him with a solemn expression on her face and tears brimming around her eyes. While he may have been angry she was obviously quite sad, as she should be seeing as how she had known Bruce longer than he had; him and his alter ego Batman. Leslie gripped Damian's hand and then turned her eyes back to the dead Bruce Wayne, she could remember vividly the first day they had met, how he had landed in the alley not to far away from her _'hospital'_ beaten and bleeding but still managing to defeat the thugs that were trying to kill her; and now she was here for his death, and she would vividly remember this day for the remaining days of her life.

'_Dammit Bruce….I told you this would happen if you didn't give it up'_ Leslie thought to herself squeezing Damian's hand again. Leslie sucked in a breath and used her free hand to wipe the stray tear that rolled down her cheek away.

* * *

Terry stood at the foot of the bed staring at his dead mentor long and hard, for him, this was a surreal moment and it was still sinking in, Bruce Wayne...no Batman, the original Batman was dead. It just didn't make sense to him, he couldn't be dead, he refused to believe it but….his eyes didn't lie to him.

"This….This isn't real, this is insane, he can't be dead" Terry whispered taking a shaky step forward.

"And why can't he be dead McGinnis?"

Terry turned his head to the left and his eyes locked onto Damian. Damian pulled his hand out of Leslie's grasp and he pulled his hood back over his head shrouding his face before turning to Terry.

"Why can't he?" Damian asked again his blue eyes stoically boring into the younger man.

"Because he's…he's…Bruce Wayne."

"No, I think you wanted say it was because he's Batman" Damian corrected still looking at him. Terry pursed his lips into a thin line and then he released a sigh.

"Yeah"

"Batman…is just that, A Man, and sooner or later all men die, even one as stubborn as Bruce Wayne" he replied turning his eyes back to his father letting his anger return to him. Damian's steely blue eyes roamed over the bruises and radiation burns adorned on his father's body and he immediately determined that Derek Powers was responsible but as his mind roamed over Powers something else caught his attention. He turned his head a bit again and he looked at Terry.

"How did you know where to find me McGinnis?" he asked scrunching his face up in confusion.

"After I found out where Bruce went Yinn asked me to pick you up" He answered.

"Wait you mean that you knew where he went…and instead of helping him you came and got me. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING MCGINNIS!?" Damian snapped.

"HEY! It's not like I wanted to get you….like I said Yinn practically begged me to come and help you" Terry replied back.

Damian recoiled slightly at what Terry just said.

'_Yinn…'_ he started to think before he instantly realized what Yinn was thinking, _'Dammit Yinn….I'll deal with him later, right now I'm gonna take care of Power as I should've done earlier.'_ he thought to himself turning away from his father and heading for the exit.

"WAIT!" Leslie shouted out making Damian stop in his tracks and turn.

"What is it?"

"You can't leave yet…Carolyn has to inject you…inject all of us rather with an anti-radiation drug…to counter the intense radiation that…" she started.

"I've already been inoculated and the kid's suit is radiation resistant." Damian replied, "Leslie I'll be back later…in the meantime can you do something about…."

"Don't worry, I've prepared for something like this years ago…..Carolyn and I will take care of everything."

"Thanks" Damian replied continuing out of the door passing by Carolyn who was injecting herself with a radiation inoculation drug.

* * *

**Outside**

Damian had a singular thought in his mind as he walked down the steps of Dr. Thompkins secret hospital building and that thought was to confront Derek Powers. While he didn't necessarily get along with his father and neither did he particularly like him that in no shape or form meant that he would allow someone to kill him or do him harm.

Damian stepped towards the cloaked Batmobile gritting his teeth and balling up his fist, the sting and pain of his injuries sustained during his battle earlier in the evening with Zander long forgotten in favor of the impending confrontation with the radioactive powered Derek Powers.

"HEY!" came a shout.

Damian ignored the shout and continued to walk, but suddenly he heard a whizzing and he whipped around and snagged the red batarang out of the air.

"The hell are you doing McGinnis" he snapped in a low voice.

"I could ask you the same thing" Batman replied reaching the taller and more seasoned vigilante.

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm leaving" he replied tossing the batarang down to the ground and whipping around.

"You're going after Powers aren't you" Batman stated more than asked.

"…."

"I'm going with you"

"You're just going to slow me down"

"Bullshit" Batman responded falling in next to Damian heading for the batmobile as well. Damian glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes and then shook his head.

"Suit yourself" he replied.

The two reached the batmobile and jumped into the vehicle; the top slid close and the engines came to life. The batmobile rose into the air and flew away into the night.

* * *

**In the Air- Batmobile**

Batman pushed on the levers and turned the controls to the left making the vehicle turn left and head for the Wayne-Powers building. He was still in a state of shock, because he still couldn't believe that Bruce Wayne…the original Batman was dead, it just didn't make sense to him but it didn't have to make sense because his lifeless body was all the truth he needed. He shook his head a bit and then gave a quick look at his second passenger, Damian Wayne aka the Gray Ghost.

'_I wonder what's going through his head right now.'_ He thought to himself _'Can't be anything good considering his father was just killed, but then again it doesn't seem like they were on good terms to begin with' _

"What are you looking at McGinnis?" Damian asked.

"That's Batman, and I was just thinking about what you thought about your father dying, but before you say anything you mind telling me who those people were back there. You were pretty lax with your identity there….and mine, you kept calling me by my name"

"….the woman in the wheelchair is Dr. Leslie Thompkins and the other woman is her daughter Dr. Carolyn Thompkins…they're friends and have been friends longer than you've been alive. Your name means nothing to them so….relax; and as far as what's going in my head, its none of your damn business, just get us to Wayne-Powers." He snapped.

"So it's safe to say you're pissed" Batman replied brushing off his last comment "And here I thought you hated him"

"Mind your own business McGinnis" Damian snapped again with a little more force in his voice.

Batman pursed his lips into a thin line as a tense silence passed within the batmobile but it didn't last very long as Batman broke the silence.

"Okay, I see you don't want to talk about Bruce and I know you don't want to talk about you, so I guess we'll have to talk about….."

"How about we talk about nothing, how about we practice something called silence" Damian interrupted.

"Or…..you can tell me how it went with Kobra, didn't you say you had a lead on them and that Zander guy?" he asked.

Damian glanced at him for a second before turning back to the screen and releasing a sigh.

"It went as expected."

* * *

**Flashback- Earlier in the Day 10:00- West Gotham**

Detective Bullock and the Gray Ghost sat in the police issued vehicle staring at the inconspicuous looking Spa that was across the street.

"I can't believe this is one of the places that a terrorist organization would set up shop" Detective Bullock said while shaking her head.

"I think you mean could set up…..we don't know for sure, it's a potential location but I can believe it though if it is…..hiding in plain sight that's Kobra's MO. Though judging by the size of this place I would say it's more of a place of recruitment than their main base in Neo-Gotham."

"On a scale of 1 to 10…how bad are these guys?" she asked turning to him.

"Well all terrorist organizations are bad Detective…but these guys are about a 20. They just don't wanna harm innocents but they want to enslave them; kill anyone who wants anything remotely close to free will. They want to ensure that the only will that matters is the one of King Kobra"

"So these guys are the worst of the worst"

The Gray Ghost nodded his head.

"Great. So, what's the plan?" she asked.

"You going in their and asking if they are part of Kobra" he answered.

Detective Bullock looked at him quizzically and scoffed a bit.

"Seriously"

"Yes, I want you to go in there and ask the clerk at the front desk are they with Kobra. If they aren't the most that will happen is the clerk will look at you like you're crazy"

"But what happens if they are with Kobra?"

"Then they might try to kill you" he replied nonchalantly.

"It's nice to know my life means nothing to you"

"Detective…I'll be right behind you, no harm will come to you and just as a reminder….I told you not come but, you insisted" he said holding up his wrist and grabbing the dial on his watch.

"Wait how are you going to be behind me if they…" she started right as the light around him bended and he vanished from sight.

"Like I said Detective….I'm full of secrets, now let's go we don't have much time" he said opening the door to her squad car and then getting out.

"What have I gotten myself into" she whispered opening her own door and stepping out of the car.

* * *

**Few Seconds Later- Inside the Spa**

Detective Montoya Bullock entered the rather large spa and she looked around at what she assumed to be the waiting room. There were no chairs, no plants or any other type of furnishings; the only thing she saw was an open room with a desk at the far end and a door on the right side of the room.

'_Weird'_ she thought to herself while walking towards the desk.

Montoya reached the desk and a lady in her late 20s rose up from the ground and smiled a sweet smile at her.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Hi" Montoya replied "I uh….um, I'm looking to start a membership to this Spa"

The clerk's smile dropped a little before she began to speak.

"I'm sorry but we're not open to the…public"

"Excuse me….this is a public place right?" Montoya asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well it depends on the class of public" The clerk replied.

Montoya scoffed a bit and then pursed her lips together.

"You guys must be Kobra" she stated seriously. The clerk's eyes widen a bit at the name she had dropped and as calmly as she could, used her right hand to hit the button that was under the desk.

"Kobra…what is that?" she asked trying her best to keep her smile.

* * *

The Gray Ghost caught the motion of the clerk's arm hitting the silent alarm.

'_Well it looks like this is one of the safe houses'_ he thought to himself.

**Click.** The Gray Ghost turned to the slight sound, it was almost faint but his ears being trained to catch even the faintest of sounds turned around; his eyes widen as he saw several sections of the floor open up. He reached up to his goggles and tapped the side, his vision changed to a different spectrum and he was able to see the cloaked Kobra henchman creeping out from underneath the floor with weapons drawn and eyes locked up Detective Bullock.

'_Well, this is interesting'_ he thought while curling his fingers into fists.

The Gray Ghost walked towards the first cloaked Kobra soldier and threw out a powerful sidekick; the kick struck the solider in the stomach and sent him flying back and to the ground causing him to gasp loudly in pain.

"AH!"

* * *

Detective Bullock whipped around when she heard the pained gasp and looked around but she saw nothing.

"What was that?" she whispered but she didn't receive an answer all she heard was more pained gasps and the sound of bones breaking.

"AH!"

**CRACK! **

"OOOMPH!"

**SNAP!**

"GAH!"

Montoya turned back around just as the clerk pulled out a weapon and aimed it at her.

"DIE!" the young clerk shouted.

"FUCK!" Montoya shouted ducking right as a laser beam erupted from the weapon.

**BLAM! **Went the sound.

The Kobra clerk cocked her weapon again and then ran around the desk that was in front of her and to her enemy, but just as she came around Montoya lunged up and speared her across the waist causing her to shoot upwards while they both went to the ground.

**BLAM!**

The Kobra woman smacked Montoya in the face with an elbow and then tried to aim her weapon but Montoya took the shot and grabbed hold of the weapon and managed to keep it away from her.

**BLAM!** Went the weapon going off again. The two women struggled with each other for control of the weapon, suddenly Montoya rose up and lifted her left knee and slammed it into the younger woman's side earning a gasp of pain. She lifted her knee again and slammed it into her side once more earning another gasp; the younger woman's grip loosened on the weapon and Montoya ripped it from her hands. She raised the weapon high and then brought the butt of the weapon across the girl's face as hard as she could knocking her out.

"Bitch"

* * *

The Gray Ghost punched another Kobra goon in the face and then lifted him up and threw him into the wall. The hood vigilante spun on his heel and delivered a solid roundhouse kick to the face of the last Kobra goon. He looked around to see that they were all unconscious and so he lifted his wrist up and turned the dial de-activating the cloaking device.

He turned around and then walked to the heavily breathing Montoya Bullock.

"Where the hell were you!?" she snapped

"Dealing with cloaked Kobra soldiers" he replied bending down and grabbing the head of an unconscious Kobra soldier. He pulled the mask off to reveal the face of a young man in his late 20s. Montoya stared at the younger man and then looked back up at the Gray Ghost.

"Cloaked Soldiers…you mean they were invisible like you were"

"Yes…No…. they weren't invisible just cloaked…bending of light to…forget it they're dealt with let's search this place" he stated tossing the mask to the ground and passing her.

The Gray Ghost made his way to the single door in the '_waiting room'_ and lifted his foot and kicked it open.

* * *

**Staircase**

The Gray Ghost peered down the winding set of stairs and then glanced over his shoulder at Detective Bullock who drew her weapon and cocked it back. He turned back to the stairs and he proceeded downwards.

* * *

**Downstairs**

The duo reached the bottom floor and found themselves in front of a metal door with a security pad on the side. The Gray Ghost reached into his utility belt and removed a small spray container; he held it up to the security pad and he sprayed it once over the numbers. He then reached up and tapped his goggles, making the vision switch to where he could see fingerprints on several numbers; he wasted no time in entering the numbers.

**SWISH!** Went the sound of the door opening.

"Do you smell that?" Gray Ghost asked.

"No"

The Gray Ghost quickly reached into one of the pouches on his utility belt again and he removed two nose plugs. He put one of the pair into his nose and they gave a beep, he then turned around and handed the other pair to the detective.

"Hurry, put this in your nose…it will protect you and administer an antidote" he stated.

"Antidote to what?"

"To the gas that was just released" he answered.

Montoya took the nose plugs and she put them into her nose, the plugs hooked around her nose and then gave a beep.

The Gray Ghost then ventured through the door and Montoya quickly followed behind him.

* * *

"GOOD LORD!" Montoya shouted in shock and disgust.

"Welcome to Kobra" The Gray Ghost replied in a jaded tone.

When the two walked through the door they immediately saw dozens of lifeless bodies on the ground. They were all contorted in a painful looking seizure and were foaming at the mouth, the people on the ground ranged from ages 18 to about 28, men and women cut down in their prime.

The Gray Ghost walked forward a bit and knelt down next to one of the bodies, he inserted the tip of his sharp gloved finger into the neck drawing some blood. His goggles toggled through several visions before stopping a pulling up the blood he had just gathered.

"I knew it"

"What is it?" Detective Bullock asked still looking at all of the dead inviduals.

"They were poisoned with a weaponized aerosol arsenic, it works quickly. They've only been dead about 2 minutes."

"Who are they?"

The Gray Ghost looked down at the uniforms they were wearing and then he lifted his head.

"New recruits…trainees being groomed here in Gotham and then being shipped off to Kobra headquarters….wherever the hell that is" he answered.

"Are they dead because of us…did we trigger this?"

"No, they aren't dead because of us…they're dead because they made the piss-poor decision to join Kobra. This is what happens to people in their organization, instead of being captured or detained they kill themselves or they are killed, this was their decision"

"Come on…look at them, they're just kids; they must've been brainwashed or something"

"It is a possibility. Kobra does implement brainwashing but that's only for key individuals. People whom they need to influence, I doubt that's what happened here. I bet these _'kids' _as you put it were probably orphans…runaways…maybe."

"That's even worse, they aren't evil, they're just looking for a place to belong"

"Well, they found it…they belong to the dead now" he said in a low cynical voice, "Come on let's go…Zander isn't here and we shouldn't linger"

* * *

**Upstairs**

The Kobra clerk woman spit out some blood as she crawled towards her desk; after reaching her desk she felt under it for a second button and she let her finger hover over it for a second.

"FOR KOBRA!" she said pressing the button.

* * *

**Downstairs**

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

The Gray Ghost heard the beeping and a message flashed across his goggles.

'_Air pressure rising…..OH SHIT!'_ he thought urgently. He suddenly whipped around and jumped on top of a visibly shocked Montoya Bullock and covered them both with his cloak. Once they both were covered he hit a button on his wrist gauntlets and a thin shield activated right as the entire building erupted in an explosion.

**KABOOOOOM! BABOOOOOOM!**

* * *

**Few seconds later**

The Gray Ghost lifted his cloak and shook the debris off of himself.

"You alright?" he asked looked down at the heavily breathing Montoya.

"Yeah, fine. Thanks" Detective Bullock replied before looking around at the destroyed Kobra recruiting base. One minute they were surrounded by dead bodies and the next they were in a crater surrounded by ash and debris, "Did we…trip a wire?" she asked standing to her feet.

"Unlikely…probably a fail-safe of some sort; a way to eliminate any evidence."

"Jesus…."

"One of the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world….right up there with the League of Shadows and Leviathan"

"League of Shadows? Leviathan? Do I even want to know?"

"No, it's not important…..we need to leave"

The Gray Ghost reached to his utility belt and pulled out a grappling hook and fired; he wrapped his arm around the Detective and pulled them both out of the crater and to safety.

* * *

**Present – Batmobile **

Batman turned the controls to the right and made the Batmobile make a sharp right turn and continue it's rapid pace to the Wayne Powers building.

"So what happened after that?" he asked glancing through the corner of his eyes again. Damian heaved a sigh, shifting a bit in his uncomfortable and cramped spot in the batmobile before answering.

"What do you think, we continued the search for that bastard Zander. We kept on going down the list that Detective Bullock had printed off."

"And they all were Kobra recruiting spots?"

"No, not all of them, but a few of them were" he replied folding his arms across his chest.

* * *

**Earlier 1:30pm- Kobra Base #3- Warehouse **

The Gray Ghost jumped to the side dodging a laser that was meant for his chest and he threw a throwing star at the offending Kobra soldier nailing him in the hand and causing him to let go of his weapon. The Gray Ghost rushed forward and delivered a powerful and solid sidekick to the man's stomach. The Kobra solider went flying back and right into a group of Kobra soldiers knocking them all down.

He then whipped around with a backfist that nailed a Kobra soldier trying to sneak up on him. The hooded vigilante looked up to see his companion Detective Bullock holding her own by hiding behind what looked like an overturned bookcase, she was using it as cover while she shot any Kobra soldier within her range.

* * *

**POW! POW! POW! POW! CLICK!**

"Damn it" Detective Bullock growled returning to her cover; she unclipped her empty weapon and loaded in a full clip. A laser beam suddenly burst through the side of her cover, "JEEZ!" she shouted as she was showered with wooden splinters. She took a deep breath and rose up over her cover and unleashed her bullets upon the approaching Kobra men. She managed to hit two of them in the chest and then another in the head but as those three fell two more took their place and continued their firing upon her.

'_Maybe I should've just stayed in the car' _

* * *

The Gray Ghost grabbed a Kobra solider by the throat and effortlessly lifted him and used as a shield as he charged forward into the group of Kobra soldiers. He tossed the injured soldier to the side and jumped in the air and delivered a solid kick to the first soldier he saw; he landed on the ground and dropped down sweeping two soldiers off of their feet. He back-flipped out the way of a laser beam and he landed in a crouch and threw several more throwing stars that nailed the weapons of the men that were trying to kill him. .

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BOOOM! **

"GAHH!" several of them shouted feeling their weapons explode in their hands.

'_This is getting us nowhere'_ The Gray Ghost thought to himself steeping to the side and kicking a Kobra solider in the chest, _'We're wasting time…the more of these bases we hit the more likely it is for the main Kobra base here in Gotham to get wind of us…hmmm, perhaps that's what we want'_ he thought to himself shoving his elbow into the nose of Kobra soldier behind him.

The Gray Ghost jumped into the air flipping over several of the Kobra soldiers trying to surround him and he landed on the ground and ran towards Detective Bullock.

* * *

Detective Bullock turned to the right to see The Gray Ghost come into view and slide right next to her.

"I've known you for like five minutes and already I've been in 3 gun fights"

"And here I thought you liked danger" he replied. Detective Bullocks response was a smirk.

"Look I've got a plan." He stated while reaching into his utility belt again. He pulled out several black balls as well as two light blue throwing stars. He used his right hand to throw the black balls all around them shrouding the two of them in thick black smoke.

Detective Bullock had to shield her eyes and nose from the thick smoke.

The Gray Ghost threw his light blue throwing stars and then grabbed Detective Bullock by the waist and held up his grappling hook. He fired the hook upwards and towards the skylight where it smashed through the glass and hooked onto the edge of the roof. He tugged on the line and it pulled them upwards.

* * *

**Roof- Across the street **

The Gray Ghost landed on the roof and he released his hold upon the Detective and walked towards the edge, he peered across the street and at the shipping warehouse.

"Why did we leave, the fight was just starting to get good" Montoya said breathing heavily.

"Right" he replied dryly. The Gray Ghost reached up to his right ear and he removed an ear piece and then tossed it to her, "Put it in"

She looked down at the ear piece for a second before complying and putting it in her ear, once it was secure she immediately could hear the panicked voices of the Kobra soldiers from inside the shipping warehouse.

* * *

**Warehouse**

"WHERE DID THEY GO!" shouted one of the Kobra henchman while fanning the smoke away from himself and looking all around for the intruders but neither he or any of the other Kobra henchmen knew where they went. They all searched around the warehouse but they didn't see anyone.

"What do we do?"

"Who were they?"

"EVERYONE QUIET!" shouted the Kobra soldier that was in charge. He looked up to see a broken skylight and he knew that the intruders had fled the scene, "That was the Gray Ghost"

"Who?"

"Fucking new recruits" the Kobra leader snarled "CALL HEADQUARTERS NOW! WE NEED A NEW SET OF INSTRUCTIONS THIS BASE IS COMPROMISED!" he roared in anger.

The clueless Kobra soldiers nodded their heads and began to run about the warehouse but while they were doing that no of them noticed the blinking light blue throwing stars imbedded in the wall.

* * *

**Roof- Across the Street**

"They're calling their base" Montoya stated in slight shock turning to her hooded companion.

"All the fighting we were doing was getting us no where fast. Taking out Kobra bases is good and all but it's not our primary objective, our main goal is to find Zander."

"Yeah, so you keep saying, but what about them we can't just let them keep operating in Gotham"

"No choice at this point. I'll take care of them later, but not right now" he said.

"I know that's supposed to give me some relief…..but it doesn't" Montoya replied, "In fact…"

"Hush, I think they're making the call now" The Gray Ghost interrupted while putting a hand to his earpiece.

Detective Montoya threw him a dirty look before focusing on her earpiece and the voices from the warehouse.

* * *

**Warehouse**

The Kobra leader of the warehouse was standing in front of a computer screen staring at the hideous General Zander.

"General"

"What issssss it?" Zander hissed in a dangerously low tone that was almost demonic in nature. The Kobra soldier shied away a bit but he gather his courage and stood up straight.

"Sir, we've just had two intruders"

"Intrudersssssss"

"Yes sir it was the…."

"Gray Ghossssst" Zander interrupted venomously, "Thisssss isssss the third Kobra basssse he has hit today…he issss looking for me"

"I don't think so sir….he didn't ask about you….or maybe he was going to, that is until we chased him off"

"Chasssssed him off?!"

"Yes sir"

"You buffoon, you and a few recruitsssss can not chassse him off, either he isss ssstill in there with you or…"

"Or what?"

"He'ssss tracing thisss call, which isss likely the cassse"

"He's tracing this call?" The Kobra leader repeated "But….how is…what do we do?"

"End the call…..goodbye" said Zander.

The Kobra soldier opened his mouth to respond but his words were replaced by a powerful explosion.

**BABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

**Outside- Across the Street**

"End the Call" The Gray Ghost repeated to himself, "SHIT! GET DOWN!" he yelled diving at Detective Bullock just as the Warehouse across the street went up in a powerful and violent explosion, the force of the blast rattling the building they were on and shattering the glass. The Gray Ghost's cloak billowed as they continued to feel the wind from the explosion; Detective Bullock managed to roll her head to the side where she saw a giant column of black smoke and fire coming from where the warehouse once stood.

"My God" she whispered shielding her eyes from the heavy wind.

* * *

**Present- Batmobile**

"Jeez, these Kobra guys are willing to kill their own men?" Batman questioned.

"Of course they are, like I told Detective Bullock capture is not an option for them and just to stop the possibility of someone opening their mouth they'll kill them"

"We have to stop them"

"You mean I'll have to stop them" Damian corrected.

Batman turned his head and gave him a hard look but Damian wasn't even looking in his direction.

'_Jackass'_ Batman thought to himself pushing on the controls a bit harder.

"So what happened after the warehouse explosion?"

* * *

**Flashback**

The Gray Ghost helped the Detective to her feet again and together the two walked back to the edge of the roof they were on and looked at the completely demolished warehouse.

"Damn it" he whispered slamming his fist on the edge, "My device didn't complete the hack"

"What device?" Detective Bullock.

"I planted a remote hacker in the warehouse along with a listening device. I knew that they would contact their main base here in Neo-Gotham" he said raising his left wrist and tapping the top portion of his hand. A holo-graphic mini-computer sprang up and he began to type into the computer.

Detective Bullock raised her eyebrows at the holographic computer.

"You really are full of surprises" she said, "I bet that comes in handy"

"From time to time" He said over his shoulder while continuing to type into the computer.

On the screen a red dot was shown and the Gray Ghost determined that the red dot represented the warehouse; his fingers flashed across the screen and a map of Neo-Gotham was shown.

"What are you doing?" Montoya asked.

"I was only able to get a partial trace on where they could be…hopefully if I can narrow the area down and then cross reference it with the list you printed off"

"We'll find them quicker" she finished.

**BEEP! BEEP!**

"Got it…Central Gotham"

"Alright….let's head to my car and check the list"

The Gray Ghost nodded his head and swiftly turned around heading for the metal ladder that would take him downwards. Detective Montoya followed behind him but she threw one last looked at the destroyed warehouse and the still rising column of smoke.

'_What have I gotten myself into?' _

* * *

**Later- 3:30pm- Neo Gotham Convention Center Building**

"Here?" Detective Bullock questioned as she and the Gray Ghost sat in her car surveying the busy and populated convention center.

"Perfect place for an organization like Kobra to hide" her hooded companion replied folding his arms across his chest, "The perfect place to monitor for someone who doesn't belong and also the perfect place for leverage."

"You mean using innocent civilians"

"Yeah"

"Wait….we don't know for sure that this is their main base"

"True but I have a gut instinct about these things…this is the place" he stated strongly.

Montoya leaned back in her seat and released a sigh, her injuries were still hurting her but she had put that to the back of her mind in favor of her current mission, which was to find Kobra.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

"The plan is to wait until nightfall and I'll sneak in while you wait here"

"What"

"Detective, while, going against my better judgment I've allowed you to come along with me on the skirmishes with the other Kobra bases…well if my hunch is correct then for your safety you're going to stay here"

"Screw that, I'm a grown woman I know what's safe and what's not and you're not going in there alone"

"I knew you would say that" he replied shaking his head

"Good becau….." she started, her mouth opened and before she could finish her sentence a flash of movement caught her attention. The Gray Ghost's left hand shot from his chest and stabbed her in the leg with a syringe and he pressed down on the plunger, "GAH!" she gasped. Montoya growled and pulled out her gun but the Gray Ghost grabbed and bent her wrist making her drop the weapon.

"Just relax" he said calmly.

"FUCK YOU! WHAT DID YOU INJECT ME WITH!" she screamed.

"A sedative" he answered in that same calm tone.

"A SEDATIVE!"

"I'm serious about this Detective, I move better on my own and I can't keep worrying about you, not if I'm going to go up against Zander so you are going to stay here. The sedative I gave you is pretty potent so you should be feeling….."

"Whoa….my….head" Montoya said.

"Light headed" he finished.

Montoya heard his very very faint voice; she shook her head as her vision began to swim.

'_No_' she thought slowly to herself. She grabbed at her seatbelt but for the life of her seat could get a good grip on it.

"Re….lax….De….tective" came the Gray Ghost faint voice again. She turned her head towards him and she looked at him; with the last bit of strength she could muster she reached up with her right hand and clumsily grabbed at his hood. She pulled it back and off his head only briefly getting a look at him before she passed out and saw nothing but blackness.

The Gray Ghost caught her head and he gently leaned it back towards her seat cushion. He then pulled his hood back over his head and eyed the convention center.

'_Now here comes the par that I hate…the waiting' _

* * *

**Nightfall**

The Gray Ghost surveyed the Neo-Gotham Convention Building from a heavily shadowed roof. He used his specially designed goggles to search for a discreet way into the building. He tilted his head upwards towards the roof and he spotted something moving; tapping his goggles they switched to a different spectrum of light and he could see the cloaked Kobra soldiers guarding the roof.

'_Hiding in plain sight…..well I'm not getting in that way, and no doubt they have people blended into crowd and they are definitely looking for me. So, that only leaves one way for me to get into this place' _

The Gray Ghost looked down towards the street and his eyes zeroed in on a manhole that was out of the way.

'_Great'_ he thought to himself before jumping off the edge of the building.

* * *

**Sewers**

**SPLASH! **Went the sound of the Gray Ghost feet hitting the freely flowing sewer water; he looked around for a second and then started towards the right.

While trudging through the thick, stinky and dirty sewers of Neo-Gotham the Gray Ghost kept his eyes open for anything that looked out of place, anything that would lead him to the Kobra base. He came to a stop and looked upwards.

'_I'm right under the convention center now, there should be something around here'_ he thought to himself, _'Could I have been wrong?_'

The Gray Ghost turned around and looked behind himself and considered going back but his decision was taking from him as the ground beneath his feet opened and he fell through the opening.

* * *

**Down Below**

"OOMPH!" the Gray Ghost grunted as he hit the metal flooring, "….what are you a rookie" he whispered to himself. He managed to push himself up a bit but it was only enough to see several men dressed in Kobra outfits with their weapons trained upon him. They opened fire and several streams of electricity fired out and hit him dead on.

"GAHHHHHHH!" he shouted feeling the electricity shocking him. He continued to scream out until he dropped back down to the ground completely unconscious.

**BRPP! BRPP!** Went the sound of the Gray Ghost goggles; the highly advanced goggles recognized his unconsciousness and the automatic identity protection feature activated. From the corners of the goggles thin metal platting started to form around his exposed face, the metal spread and spread and effectively encased his face and shielded his identity from the approaching Kobra soldiers.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

**ZAPPPPPP!**

"AHH!" shouted The Gray Ghost as he was forcibly awaken from his forced slumber by a direct shock of electricity to his neck, "Grrrrrr" he growled.

The Gray Ghost looked around to see that he was in an underground Kobra laboratory with dozens of Kobra soldiers and scientist running around.

'_Looks like I was right about the Kobra base being here'_ he thought to himself. Looking around some more he noticed that he was tightly strapped upright to an operating table with several Kobra soldiers with weapons aimed at him; he could feel his mask covering his face but what he couldn't feel was his utility belt around his waist.

'_Dam…'_ he started to think before his nerves were set alight.

**ZAPPPP!**

"AHHH!" he shouted again as he felt another electric shock to his neck.

"I've waited a long time for thissss Ghosssst" came a hissing voice.

The Gray Ghost turned his head to the left and from the side the hideously mutated Zander came into view and in his clawed hands was his utility belt.

"Zander"

"I knew you would find your way here" Zander continued while coming to stand right in front of the captured Gray Ghost.

"Did you now; good for you. What is Kobra planning to use the nerve gas for?" he asked.

Zander stepped forward and back-fisted him across the face.

"You need not concern yourself with the affairsssss of our Organization" Zander hissed again, he grabbed the Gray Ghost by the throat and squeezed a bit. The Gray Ghost gagged a bit because of Zander's strength and the grip on his throat; he was bending the metal covering cutting off his air supply a bit.

"General Zander…..our Leader is on the line for you" came the voice of a Kobra soldier

Zander stopped his squeezing and glanced at the soldier behind him, his glowing red eyes made the soldier shrink away with fear. Zander's tail rattled loudly before he quickly let go of his mortal enemy the Gray Ghost.

"On ssssscreen"

* * *

From the top of the underground lab a large screen lowered down in front of them and turned on; the screen fizzled for a second before an image of King Kobra, the shrouded leader of the Kobra organization appeared in all of glory. Every Kobra affiliate bowed their head upon seeing him and slammed their hand to their chest in a salute.

"Lord Kobra" the Gray Ghost snarled.

"Ghost" Lord Kobra replied back in the same tone, "You are a major pain in my ass, you and your network of ridiculous dressed idiots"

"I'm not so sure we're the ridiculously dressed ones Kobra" The Gray Ghost threw back.

Lord Kobra narrowed his eyes and leaned forward in his throne.

"Tonight you will suffer tonight, and each and every agonizing second of your suffering will be recorded for my amusement. You will beg for death but it will not come until I am satisfied and then…only then will I allow your life to end"

"Masssster…..shall I begin?" Zander asked with a hint of eagerness in his voice.

"Yes…..start with his feet"

Zander turned away from the screen and the looked at the Gray Ghost while letting a smile form along his mutated face.

"I've waited a long time for thissssss" he hissed.

"As have I" The Gray Ghost stated "FLARES!" he suddenly yelled.

The utility belt in Zander's clawed hand heard the commanded and suddenly dozens of flares spewed out of several pouches. The Flares flew out and exploded in a shower of light blinding everyone in the lab.

* * *

The Gray Ghost took advantage of the temporary blindness everyone was experiencing and deftly slipped out of the binds that held him down. Once he was free he pushed back on the operating table making it flip horizontally and allowing him stand upright on it, he looked around to see that everyone was still wiping their eyes trying to clear their vision. The Gray Ghost pulled his hood over his head and then leapt off of the operating table and slammed both of his feet into Zander's chest sending him flying back. The mutated General felt the powerful blow and himself going backwards, his rattlesnake like tail hit the ground and pushed up allow him to spring and flip upright and land on his bare clawed feet. He hissed and rubbed his red glowing eyes; his vision was still blurry so he barely managed to make out a charging gray blob and but suddenly his vision cleared and that's when his eyes widen as the gray blob reached him and turned into a gray a fist.

The Gray Ghost reared his left hand back and then came forward with another hard shot to Zander's exposed face knocking the beast of a man for another loop.

'_Got to take him down now, hard and fast'_ Gray Ghost thought to himself coming in with a hard and powerful uppercut. The blow lifted Zander up a bit and sent him to the ground and as he hit the floor his grip on the utility belt was lost and it slid across the ground. The hooded vigilante dove and grabbed his belt; acting quickly he reached into one of the back pouches and pulled out several throwing stars. He gripped his stars and then looked around, it didn't take him long to spot the main computer console within the Kobra lab. He reared his arm and threw the throwing stars with perfect accuracy and they each imbedded themselves into the console and gave a synchronized beep.

* * *

**Screen **

Lord Kobra slammed his fist down onto his chair as he saw the Gray Ghost escape his restraints.

'_Damn Him! He refuses to die'_ he growled in his mind; his eyes widen as he saw his enemy throw the throwing stars at the computer.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" he shouted knowing the vigilante could hear him.

* * *

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

The Gray Ghost whipped around to the large screen to see Lord Kobra staring at him.

"Downloading, since you won't tell me what you're doing I'll find out for myself" he replied.

"NO!" He roared "YOU IDIOTS STOP THE DOWNLOAD! ZANDER KILL HIM!" Lord Kobra continued.

**TCHSSSSSSSSS TCHSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

The Gray Ghost turned to the sound and he had just enough time to lean back from the tail whip by Zander's rattlesnake like tail, but while he managed to avoid taking any damage Zander's tail hit his utility belt and sent it flying away from him.

Zander turned around and then lunged at the Gray Ghost full of fury and anger, the Gray Ghost back-flipped and Zander sailed over him. He sprung off his hands and landed in a crouch. A shadow formed over him and he turned his head to see Zander's claws heading right for him, he leaned to the side but Zander's claws managed to catch some of his cloak and his flesh.

"GRAH!" he grunted in pain rolling to the side and to his feet.

"RAHH!" roared Zander charging at him with his razor sharp claws again. The Gray Ghost flexed his fingers and the sharp talons on his gloved hands extended a bit more. Zander came in with a low sweeping strike and the strike was matched by the Gray Ghost.

**SRKHH!** Went the sound of the sharp claws and metal talons meeting in the middle; Zander came around with his other hand for a mid-ranged strike but yet again the strike was block by the Gray Ghost's talons.

**SRKHHH! SKRHHH! SKRHH!** Went the sound of the two clashing. Zander jumped in the air and brought both of his hands down, the Gray Ghost jumped to the side but Zander had been anticipating that and right as he landed his tail shot out and grabbed the hooded vigilante by the ankle. Zander jerked his body to the left and as a result the Gray Ghost went flying across the lab until he hit the ground hard. He rolled along the ground for a second before rolling up into a crouch.

'_Damn it; that fucking tail of his…..his speed and strength are eventually going to get the better of me. I have to do someth…'_ he started.

**CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! **

The Gray Ghost looked to the left and right to see that the Kobra soldiers had finally recovered and had their weapons trained upon him ready to take his life.

"NO!" yelled Zander while running towards the Gray Ghost "HE'SSSSSS MINE SSSSSSSSTOP THE DOWNLOAD!"

The Kobra soldiers obeyed the command and lowered their weapons and ran towards the computer. The Gray Ghost held his ground as he saw the soldiers run away and Zander charging right for him. The seasoned crime fighter secretly reached into his left glove and he removed a black object, and then charged forward himself.

* * *

Zander had his enemy dead in his sights and as the two neared he bared his sharp teeth and flexed his clawed hands. He came across with a swipe but the Gray Ghost dropped to the ground and slid between his legs avoiding the tail and coming out behind him. Zander stopped and whipped around just as the Gray Ghost scraped the black object across the ground and then tossed it at him.

**BOOOOOOM FWASSSHH!** Went the sound of the object exploding and letting out a stream of fire.

"AHHH!" yelled Zander as the fire spread across his body burning him, "AHHHHH! AHHH!"

The Gray Ghost turned away from his burning enemy and eyed the Kobra Soldiers at the computer console.

'_Need a few more minutes before the download is complete'_ he thought to himself running over.

* * *

**Computer**

"STOP THE DOWNLOAD!" Lord Kobra yelled again.

Two Kobra soldiers tried to grab some of the throwing stars but they released an electric shock stunning them. Another Kobra soldier tried to go for another one of the stars but the Gray Ghost suddenly appeared and knocked them away.

"Nobody is stopping anything" He declared delivering a hard cross to the Kobra soldier that was trying to turn his weapon onto him.

* * *

**Kobra Headquarters- Location Unknown**

Lord Kobra sat on his throne and watched through the communication line as the Gray Ghost took apart his men. He balled his fist so hard that a few droplets of blood spilled from his palms.

Lord Kobra turned his head to the left and glanced at the men standing next to his throne.

"Is the Jet within range?" he asked.

"Yes sir" one of the men replied.

"Tell them to fire, we can't afford to let that hooded bastard know of our plans"

"Yes sir, but what about the General?"

"We have Zander's DNA…we can make another one" Lord Kobra replied turning back to the screen and to the Gray Ghost "Months of hard work…..gone because of you. I hope you burn in hell"

* * *

**Neo-Gotham- Skyline**

A combat jet flew swiftly through the darkened cloudy sky and over the Neo-Gotham City, and inside the jet was a Kobra solider.

**BEEP!**

The Kobra solider reached over and the button that was beeping.

"Hail Kobra" the pilot said.

"The Coordinates have been sent to you make it a direct hit"

"Yes sir"

"Hail Kobra"

The pilot cut the line and began the process of pulling up the coordinates that had been sent to him.

* * *

**Kobra base**

**DEET! DEET! DEEET! DEET!**

The Gray Ghost kicked a Kobra soldier in the face and then he turned to the sound and he spotted his utility belt.

'_I know that sound…Kobra uses a certain signal for their aircrafts, thank God Rose was able to crack it but if that's going off it means…..oh shit. Lord Kobra is going to blow this place up….but the people. DAMN IT'_ he thought urgently. The Gray Ghost quickly reached up to his single ear piece and he tapped it.

"DETECTIVE! DETECTIVE WAKE UP!' he shouted while diving out of the way of several bullets.

* * *

**Outside the Convention Center- Police Car**

"DETECTIVE! DETECTIVE WAKE UP!"

Montoya stirred at the loud yell in her ear.

"Ugh..." she groaned while her eyes fluttered open and came into focus, "Where am I?"

"You're in your car" The Gray Ghost answered over the line.

Montoya heard his voice and her memories instantly came back to her, she turned to the right and he was gone but she could hear his voice clear as day. Her eyes scrunched up a bit before she realized she was still wearing her earpiece.

"YOU DRUGGED ME!" she shouted.

"Yes I did, get over it" he snapped. Montoya reached up and touched the earpiece in her ear.

"GET OVER IT! NO I WILL NOT GET OVER IT YOU…."

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME! PEOPLE ARE IN DANGER!"

Montoya closed her mouth and she turned to the convention center.

"Danger?"

"Yes, there is a aircraft on the way to blow up the convention center….you have to get those people out of there"

"How?"

"I DON'T KNOW GET CREATIVE! YOU WANTED TO HELP SO HELP!" he shouted before the line went dead.

Montoya pursed her lips into a thin line and released a sigh.

"Get Creative huh….I can do that" she replied while starting up her car.

**THROOOM! THROOOM!** Went the sound of the thunder followed by the heavy rain.

* * *

**Inside the Convention Center**

Dozens of Neo-Gotham citizens were inside of the Convention Center walking around and enjoying the activities within the large center but the peaceful tranquility was interrupted by a set of bright high beams and loud honking. The people inside turned towards the entrance just as a police car came crashing through the doors.  
**CRASH! HONK! HONK! HONK!**

* * *

Detective Bullock swerved as she crashed through the Convention center entrance; she hit her horn again alerting all of the people that were potential in her way.

**HONK! HONK!**

"MOVE GODDAMN IT! MOVE!" she yelled. The Detective swerved to the right and slammed both feet down unto the brake pedal, her car turned the right and started to slow down until it came to a complete stop, "…..What a rush" she whispered to herself before shaking her head and getting out of the car.

* * *

A crowd of people gathered around Montoya's car and they were looking at her like she was a mad woman. Montoya eyed the gathered people and she took a deep breath.

"Everyone listen to me head to your nearest exit right now" she said urgently.

"Excuse me who are you?" asked a man that looked like he was the manager of the Convention Center or at least someone that part of the staff.

"I'm with the NGCPD Now please…."

"Ma'am you are giving these people quite the scare…if there is an emergency there are certain protocols…." The Manager started before he saw Detective Bullock pull out her glock and raised it in the air.

**POW! POW! POW! POW!**

"EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE NOW!"

**POW! POW!**

"AHHHHHHHHH!" the people screamed as they turned and clamored for the exit.

* * *

**In the Air**

The Kobra jet flew through the heavy rain and over the Wayne-Powers building. The sensors in the cockpit locked onto the coordinates of the Neo-Gotham Convention Center.

"Target is locked…deploying destroyer missiles now"

The Kobra pilot flipped several switches which released the three destroyer missiles.

* * *

**Underground Base**

"**ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! ATTACK IMMINENT! ATTACK IMMINENT!" **went the sound of the Kobra alarm systems. The Kobra soldiers and scientist were running wildly to any exit they could find but all of the exits were sealed shut trapping them all inside. The Gray Ghost looked around at the flashing red lights and at the scared henchman.

'_He's going to kill all of them just to stop me from downloading…..whatever he's up to its big…I hope Bullock got all of those people out'_ he thought to himself turning to the computer.

* * *

**Up Above**

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"COME ON LET'S GO! GET OUT OF HERE!" Detective Bullock hollered at the top of her lungs.

**POW! POW!**

* * *

**Down Below**

The Gray Ghost reached up and tapped his goggles and a message appeared across the eyes.

"Download 94% complete" he read "NO, I need more time."

**TCHSSSSS TCHSSSS**

"RAH!"

The Gray Ghost turned just in time to be tackled from the side by an angry and burnt Zander; the two of them went rolling across the ground with Zander landing on top trying to sink his teeth into the Gray Ghost's neck but the vigilante managed to keep him at bay with his feet and hands but it was still proving to be difficult because of Zander's increased strength.

"ZANDER! YOU IDIOT KOBRA IS ABOUT TO BLOW US ALL TO HELL!" He yelled while grabbing Zander by the jaw.

"ASSSSS LONG ASSSSS YOU'RE DEAD!" he hissed backed pushing his mouth and razor sharp teeth towards his enemy.

"GRRRH!" The Gray Ghost strained trying to keep him at bay, another message then flashed across his goggles, _'Oh No…..g-g-otta…get…f-free'_

The Gray Ghost jammed his right forearm into Zander's neck while using his left hand to jam his clawed fingers in Zander's right eye.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Zander screeched in pain. The Gray Ghost kicked him off of him and then rolled away. He rolled up and grabbed his cloak wrapping it around his body and then hit the button on his wrist gauntlet. A thin shield emitted from his cloak just as the rockets burst through the roof and ignited the lab in a fury of fire and destruction.

**KABOOOOOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOM!**

* * *

**Up Above**

**KABOOOOOOOM!**

Detective Bullock's eyes widen as she saw part of the building explode and fire and debris heading her way; as quickly as she could she turned around and began to run towards the hole she made with her car.

**BOOOOOM! BOOOOM!**  
The Detective glanced over her shoulder to see that the fire was gaining on her.

'_MOVE YOUR ASS MONTOYA! MOVE!'_ she yelled in her mind. She increased her pace and she could see the hole coming closer and closer; gritting her teeth the Detective jumped and sailed towards the hole, the force of the explosion pushing her out of the hole and to the outside.

* * *

"OOOOMPH!" Montoya grunted as she went skidding across the wet pavement until she hit mailbox. She grunted in pain but her pain was forgotten as she stared up in shock at the collapsing Convention Center.

* * *

**KABOOOOOOOOM! CRUMBLE! CRUMBLE!**

The building exploded outward and then caved inward kicking up dust, rain and debris and sending waves and waves of out into the streets blinding the crowd of people that barely escaped certain death.

* * *

Montoya coughed and fanned the dust away from her wet face and shakily stood to her feet, she sucked her teeth in pain and then looked at her arm which had a bad burn on it but before she could survey the rest of her injuries her attention was drawn to the screaming and yelling coming from the people she had saved from the explosion. She was about to walk to them but she stopped in her tracks and turned her head back to the destroyed building.

'_I need to know if The Gray Ghost escaped. I hope he's still alive'_ she thought while limping her way over to the building.

* * *

**Convention Center**

**KRZZZ! KRZZZ!** Went the sound of the shield surrounding the Gray Ghost malfunctioning and then cutting off; the Gray Ghost released himself from his cloak and stood up. He took in a deep breath and then looked around, he didn't see any sign of the Kobra soldiers nor did he see any sign of Zander, all he saw was destruction. He looked upwards to see the darkened cloudy night sky and that's when he realized that it was raining and it was raining hard; he lowered his head down his eyes locked to where he last saw the computer and as expected the computer was completely and utterly destroyed.

"Damn it…so close"

**WHOOOO! WHOOO!** The Gray Ghost turned his head as he heard the sirens in the distance, instinctively he reached for his grappling hook but his utility belt was gone.

"Damn it that's right" he whispered while holding up his right wrist gauntlet; he tapped two buttons and he waited.

* * *

Detective Bullock walked around a crumbling wall to see a deep deep ditch, she limped towards the ditch and there in the center was the Gray Ghost, she was relieved to see him and she was about to say something when movement caught her eyes. She turned to the left and she saw some type of creature slither from out of the ground and she scrunched her eyes but immediately recognized the creature as Zander because of his rattle snake like tail.

* * *

"Master Wayne!" came the astonished voice of his partner Yinn.

"Yinn…I need you to pick me up."

"Are you alright?"

"I've been better…look I lost my utility belt"

"You lost it?" he questioned.

"Long story….look I lost it and it had all of my…" he started but didn't get a chance to finish because of the shrill voice.

"LOOK OUT!"

The Gray Ghost turned just as a severely burned Zander slashed at him, scratching some of his flesh and tearing his gray cloak.

"GAHHH!" The Gray Ghost yelled in pain. Zander heard the yell and he relished in the sound he came around again with another slash and caught more of the Gray Ghost skin which earned another yell of pain. Zander then whipped around and smacked him with his rattle snake like tail sending him flying back and to the ground.

**SHRIPP!** Went the sound of the Gray Ghost's cloak ripping in half, he heard the sound and felt his cloak rip away but he couldn't dwell on it or on his injuries. The Gray Ghost rolled on his shoulder and then to his feet and used both of his hands to block the second strike from Zander's tail. After he blocked the strike he stepped in with a kick but Zander caught his foot and used his superior strength to lift him up and slammed him down to the ground before spinning and tossing him away again.

* * *

Detective Bullock watched as the two fought each other tooth and nail but it was obvious to her that the Gray Ghost would need her help. Looking to her right she saw a metal pole that had been blow out of the ground and was leaning in such a way that she would be able to slide down and into the ditch. Montoya pursed her lips into a thin line and made her way over to the pole.

* * *

The Gray Ghost delivered two punches to Zander's face and then grabbed his enemy's head and brought it down to meet his knee. Zander's head snapped back but he wasn't out of the fight, he lifted his foot and delivered a solid front kick to the Gray Ghost's stomach.

"OOF" he grunted before ducking under a quick clawed strike but Zander had expected him to duck and as he ducked he hopped up and delivered his own knee to the Gray Ghost's protected face. The knee strike was so hard that it broke the face plate that was covering the Gray Ghost's face; he went back and to the ground and spit out some blood. Zander took advantage and stalked over to him, he bent down and wrapped both of his hands around the Gray Ghost's neck and applied pressure while lifting him up in the air.

"UCK!" he gasped feeling the grip, Zander's claws were kept at bay by the metal covering around his neck but the pressure of his strength was causing the metal to bent inward and choke him.

"DIE!" Zander rasped out.

"AH!" the Gray Ghost gasped trying to struggle.

"I told you….you would die tonight Ghossssssst"

"HEY!"

Zander's amusement was halted by the call, he turned his head to the right and he saw Montoya standing a few feet away with her glock trained directly on him, his one good eye widen in shock.

"PAYBACK IS A BITCH!" she shouted right before pulling the trigger.

**POW!** The bullet erupted from her weapon and went flying right through Zander's skull and through the other side. He instantly let go of the Gray Ghost and he shakily reached up to his head.

"UCH!" he gasped feeling the hole, he gasped again and took a step in the direction of Detective Bullock.

The Detective looked on in slight shock before she narrowed her eyes and fired two more bullets each shot ripping through his skull and destroying the last few sparks of brain activity and effectively killing him. The eye of the mutant General Zander rolled back and he fell to the ground dead.

* * *

The Gray Ghost ripped the metal siding guarding his neck off and he gasped and greedily sucked in the much needed air, he turned his head a bit and he saw Detective Bullock running over to him. He forced himself to his feet and then he turned around fully and he looked at the dead Zander who was only a few inches away from him, he rubbed his neck and closed the distance.

"Careful" Detective Bullock stated.

The Gray Ghost stood over the dead Zander in a mixture of shock and relief.

'_I guess I wasn't the one that was going to die today' _

"Are you okay?" Detective Bullock asked.

"Fine…thanks for the save." He replied.

"I owed you" she said walking forward and standing next to him. The two of them stood over the dead Zander among the ruins of the Kobra lab that spread over an entire block.

"God…..today has been once of the weirdest days of my life" Montoya said releasing a sigh of relief and then looking around at all of the destruction.

"Today wasn't even remotely close to my weirdest day…to me it's just another day." The Gray Ghost replied.

"Well…you certainly live an interesting life"

"You don't know the half of it" he said letting out a grunt.

Suddenly the wind around them kicked up heavily and the two of them were forced to look upwards. The Gray Ghost eyes widen as he saw the batmobile descend downwards and touch the ground. The top hatch open and Batman stood up out of the vehicle.

* * *

**Present- Batmobile**

"So what does that mean for Kobra, are they finished operating here in Gotham?" Batman asked.

"I don't' know, my instincts are telling me no, despite the fact that their main base was destroyed. I'm inclined to think that another one of their secret bases will just pick up the slack."

**DEET!**

"We're coming up on Wayne-Powers now" Batman stated while pulling back on the controls.

* * *

**Inside- Wayne Powers**

Batman and the Gray Ghost entered through the front entrance of Wayne-Powers and they were both drawn to the destruction in front of them. They both looked upwards and saw the giant hole that was allowing the rain in from the outside.

"Well the hell happened here?" Batman asked.

"Better yet how come the cops haven't shown up yet?" The Gray Ghost asked looking up and tapping his goggles.

"The Cops are stretched pretty thin right now because of the Jokerz and Knightbreed" Batman answered looking around and inspecting the area.

The Gray Ghost goggles switched to a different lens and the giant hole in the building had a neon green trail.

"Just as I thought"

"What?"

"Powers did this…this whole place is covered in his radiation."

"You can see it?" Batman asked.

"Yes, this place is covered with his trail"

"Can you determine which way he went?"

The Gray Ghost looked around for a long minute trying to determine which way Derek but the lobby was too saturated with radiation, but while he was looking around his goggles automatically zeroed in on a glob of black ooze on the ground. The goggles brought up the black ooze and the Gray Ghost recognized it, _'Inque'_ he growled in his mind.

"Well, do you know which way he went?" Batman asked.

"No, too much saturation...but I do know he wasn't alone. Inque was here."

"WHAT!"

**WHOOOOO WHOOOO! WHOOOO!**

Batman and the Gray Ghost turned to the sound of the sirens.

"Now they show up" said the Gray Ghost.

"We need to go" said Batman heading for the door, The Gray Ghost grunted but quickly followed after him.

* * *

**Later- BatCave**

The Batmobile pulled into the bat-cave and came to a stop, the top opened and the first person out was the Gray Ghost; he pulled back his hood to reveal the beaten face of Damian Wayne. Damian looked around for a minute until his eyes landed on Yinn who was standing with his back to him and facing the Bat-Computer.

The Gray Ghost balled up his fist and he ran forward.

* * *

Yinn stood still, but then he suddenly ducked and that's when Damian sailed over him with a flying kick.

"Master Wayne….you're back" said Yinn cheerfully.

Damian landed and grunted a bit because he was injured but he pushed it aside and whipped around. He came in with a mid-ranged strike that Yinn deftly blocked. Yinn blocked the strike and threw out his own that Damian blocked with his forearm, Yinn threw out a straight kick that Damian blocked with his shin.

* * *

Batman hopped out of the Batmobile and his eyes widen at the sight of Damian and Yinn trading swift blows with each other.

"What the hell?" he whispered; he pursed his lips into a thin line and then flicked his wrist and produced a batarang.

* * *

Damian threw out an elbow that Yinn blocked; after he blocked the attack he grabbed Damian's arm and tried to put it in an arm lock but Damian shifted the momentum and tried to counter the lock with his own but Yinn felt the counter and countered with own but again Damian slipped out of the lock.

The two fighters stood still in a tussle of strength but their instincts kicked in when they heard the whizzing of a batarang. They both separated just as the batrang passed between them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?' shouted Batman landing in the middle of them.

Yinn and Damian stared at each other for a long minute before they both relaxed and took a deep breath.

"Why did you let my father die Yinn?"

"WHAT!" shouted Batman

"I did no such thing Master Wayne"

"You let him walk out of here and into certain death" Damian accused.

"Your father is….was a grown man that made his own choices. I offered to help him but he refused"

"Why didn't you call me?" Damian demanded.

"Because I knew that Kobra was more important" Yinn replied.

"That wasn't your decision to make Yinn"

"Well then Master Wayne it's a good thing that I didn't make that decision…..You did."

Damian recoiled a bit and then turned away.

"Damian…did you really think that your father wouldn't do what he said he was going to do; from the things that you've told me about him and from my own assessment of the man….he is definitely a man of his word. He said he would handle Powers and he did"

"And he's dead"

"Isn't that what you've secretly wanted?" Yinn asked, "Well it's finally happened…you should be happy right…..RIGHT!"

Damian turned back towards Yinn and stared him in the eyes; as this was going on Batman was looking back and forth between the two and wondering just what was going on. Finally after a long minute Damian released a sigh and turned towards the bat-computer averting his gaze away from Yinn.

"Pack our things Yinn…..we're getting the hell out of here"

"So you're running away?" Yinn asked.

"NOW YINN!" Damian yelled "Please….I need to leave this place" he added in a whisper.

Yinn studied Damian for a minute before nodding his head.

"As you wish, but before we leave….your father left something for you on the computer. A message that you need to hear"

Yinn turned away and went towards Batman who had pulled his mask off to reveal the face of Terry McGinnis.

"Come with me Terry" said Yinn softly.

"You let the old man go out of here by himself?" Terry asked.

Yinn released a sigh and glanced at Terry.

"I'll explain my reasoning once we've left the cave, the message that Damian is about to play is something he needs to hear….and hear alone" Yinn replied in a hush voice while leading Terry towards the batmobile.

* * *

Damian glanced to the left as he saw Yinn and Terry hop into the batmobile and start up the engines. The Batmoblie lifted up into the air and then flew out of the cave leaving the enigmatic vigilante by himself. Damian turned his eyes back to the bat-computer and he stared at the blank screen…staring at his reflection. He stood there for a while just listening to himself breathe, his mind was replaying Yinn's words to him, mostly because it was a question he had been asking him since seeing his dead father. It was something that he had always wanted but now that he has it….. shouldn't he be happy.

'_Goddamn it'_ he said in his mind. He released another sigh and rubbed his hand down his face. Damian grabbed the chair that was next to him and pulled it back and sat down.

"Computer On" he stated strongly. The Bat-Computer hummed and then turned on, "Access Damian Wayne"  
**BEEP! DEET!**

"Pull up last known recording file from Bru…..from Batman"

**BEEP! DEEET!** The screen flashed through several files before one file pulled up on screen.

"Open file and play recording" he commanded.

The file on the computer opened an image of the elderly Bruce Wayne could be seen; Damian scrunched his face up in a scowl and leaned back in his seat and prepared himself for some type of last will lecture.

* * *

**Recording**

"_Damian…..…my son. There are so many things that I….should say to you, should have said to you but, I think the most important of all those things are these two words. I apologize. _

* * *

Damian's scowl instantly dropped and he straightened up in his seat.

* * *

_I apologize to you because I have failed you as your father. I failed you and I know that many times it seemed like you had failed me it was really I that had failed you. I wasn't there for you….Bruce Wayne, didn't raise you…..Batman did, and Batman is a very… over critical….over bearing, intimidating, cold, and angry person…..he had to be for the type of life that we were involved in, but Damian there is another side to life….a side that I denied from you. That side is gentle, accepting, warm and even understanding of the mistakes that we make because we're human…..that side, that fatherly side is something that you needed and I didn't give it to you. It wouldn't be until years later…that I thought about this and I couldn't help but think about what your grandfather my father Thomas Wayne would say and not just about how I raised you but about my own life as well…..living in the darkness, operating in the shadows. When Talia first brought you to me….you had been semi-indoctrinated into the way of the league of shadows and…and I should've gone a different way in your upbringing. I know that your mother always talked about Batman and how Batman was your father but I really should have been letting you get to know Bruce Wayne….the man beneath the bat, but since I'm being honest….I honestly think that Bruce Wayne died with his parents in that alley… all of those years ago…I…" _

* * *

Damian swallowed hard as he studied his father's face. His father had always, worn a stoic expression on his face, careful to never let his emotions show and for the first time in ages that expression was gone. Damian studied his father's face and he could see several emotions and the primary emotion he saw was…..regret.

* * *

_Damian, I know that I never really said it when you were here but I want you to know that I am Proud of you. I know growing up with me hasn't been easy and I know how the loss of our family has affected you and I know about all of the sacrifices that you had to make to ensure the losses wouldn't continue, I thank you for that and for everything that you have done…My son I am proud of you. When you were here you gave above and beyond and I never gave you the recognition that you deserved and for that I apologize, and I never blamed you for leaving, if I were you I would have left too and I'd never have come back, but you did. You're here for Kobra and I have no doubt in my mind that once you settle things with Kobra you'll leave Gotham but son…..I'm asking you to stay. I told you that I would handle Powers but something tells me that I won't survive the encounter, and if….when, I'm gone there won't be anyone here to guide Terry, and help him protect Gotham. I know I don't have any right to ask this of you seeing as how you have forged your own way as the Gray Ghost….but I'm going to ask anyway, will you be Terry's guide….will you continue what I….we have built…will you continue the Batman Legacy. Even though you may not wear the cape and the cowl, you are still every bit the Batman I trained you to be…and that is what Terry needs….what Gotham needs, you've seen for yourself what has happened since Batman disappeared and what has happened since the return. Gotham needs Batman….Gotham needs you and Terry, I see something in him and I'm certain that if you stay long enough you'll see it too. I want to be clear though Damian…this isn't a demand or me manipulating you. You can choose to leave and if you do…make sure to lock up the cave for me. Damian…..I…..I Love You…_

* * *

Damian sat glued to his seat staring at the screen, he lifted his hand off of the stop button on the computer and he pressed another button that was right next to the stop button. The video recording of his father rewinded a bit before he pressed play.

* * *

_"Damian…..I…Love You…."_

* * *

Damian hit the stop button again and he let his eyes fixate on his father. A large weight had been lifted from his shoulders; the anger that had been gripping him started to fade away as it was replaced by a feeling of relief. For most of his life he had been waiting to hear something like this from Bruce. He had been eagerly waiting for those words that every son wants to hear from their father. Damian closed his eyes briefly; he felt something…..something welling up inside him…he could feel the stone walls around his emotions starting to crumble. Emotions that he had spent years pushing back were rushing to the surface as he let the message replay over in his mind. His father, Bruce Wayne, Batman….a man known for never apologizing had apologize to him….to him and him alone and not only that…he said he was proud of him, and not only was he proud of him but he loved him as well, something he hadn't been sure of…and that's all any son ever wants…the assurance, the approval and the love of their father.

Damian opened his eyes and he pressed the rewind button again and then the stop button.

* * *

_"Damian…I…..Love You"_

* * *

The emotions were pushing forward and more urgently, Damian tried to fight it but after fighting it for so long he…stopped. The feeling of anger completely melted away a feeling of sadness gripped him as the reality of the situation finally hit him….his father was dead, and before he died he left a message….no….an apology, a sincere apology just for him. Damian hit the rewind button again and then the stop.

* * *

_"Damian…I…..Love You"_

* * *

"I…..I Love you too…Dad" he whispered as a single tear rolled his down his face, and with that single tear falling several more began to follow until tears were flowing freely and for the first time in a long time, years even, Damian Wayne…..cried.

* * *

**Few Hours Later- BatCave**

Damian was still sitting in the chair staring at the screen, his tears long since dried and a look of intense focus on his face. Damian sucked in a breath and then turned his head to left to see the batmobile enter the cave. The vehicle lowered down to the ground and the engines shut off; the top slid back and out jumped Batman and Yinn with several packed suitcases.

Damian swiveled away from the computer and stood up out of the chair and began to walk towards the two of them.

* * *

"What did the old man say on the message?" asked Batman as Damian approached them.

"….what I needed to hear" he replied cryptically "There is a message on there for you too McGinnis. I've already pulled it up so all you have to do is either tell the computer to play it or press play."

Batman pulled his mask off to reveal the face of Terry McGinnis; Terry looked at Damian and then looked at the Bat-Computer, without needing another prompt he walked past him and towards the computer. Damian watched him go for a second before turning back to Yinn.

"All of our bags are packed Master Wayne"

"Good, you can unpack them upstairs" he replied walking past him and towards the batmobile.

"So is it safe for me to assume that we're staying?" Yinn asked a knowing smile creeping along his face.

"Your assumption would be correct…..and Yinn, about earlier….."

"No need" Yinn interrupted knowing exactly what he was about to say. Damian stopped in his tracks and lowered his head a bit before raising it up and turning a bit.

"Thanks"

Yinn replied with a smile.

Damian turned and continued his trek towards the batmobile.

"Where are you going?" Yinn asked.

"If we're going to stay, I have a lot of work to do and people to see. My first stop is Metropolis…..to see a woman by the name of Amanda Waller, I'll be back soon." He replied jumping into the batmobile.

"WAIT! Master Wayne"

"Yes Yinn."

"If we're going to stay here….what does that mean for the Gray Ghost?"

"…..it means for now, the Gray Ghost is dead" he said before tapping a few buttons which made the top of the batmobile slid shut. The engines started up and the vehicle rose into the air and then rocketed out of the bat-cave.

* * *

**End Chapter: Read and Review: Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments. WHEW! I know that this chapter took forever to get out and I have several excuses as to why the first is that I wanted to get this chapter just right….I wanted to bring the right emotional tone to this chapter and I hope I succeeded. I know it got kinda sappy at the end there but I think the sap is very necessary, and I hope all of you reviewers feel the same. I hope the action scenes were up to my usual par….and oh how many of you like the team up and chemistry between Damian and Detective Bullock….they have a fun dynamic and a much different relationship than her father had with the original Batman. Well Ladies and Gentlemen….my loyal readers we are now at the end of this story…there is one more chapter left. All of the storylines have been closed but closed in such a way that they can be re-opened at a later time. It has been a wild and eventful ride my loyal readers but now it's time for it to come to end…..or at least this volume. If anyone has any questions, comments, rants, or raves just leave it in the review or just send me a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying later. **

**Ps: THANK YOU! To everyone who has stuck with this story until its end, ONE CHAPTER LEFT! WHOOO! I hope to see you all there for the epic conclusion of Batman Beyond Volume 1. This is me saying later….**

**Next up: Epilogue: A Funeral and a New Era Begins **


	26. Epilogue: A Funeral and a New Era Begins

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in any form or fashion OWN any of these characters ALL CREDIT goes to DC. DC owns everything I repeat I do not own these characters. I am not making any money of this story I can promise you. So please do not sue me I ask again please do not sue me. **

**Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back with the final…..Final chapter in Batman Beyond: Volume 1. As I stated in the last chapter it has been a wild and fun ride but now its time for it to come to a close. All of the storylines have been closed with a few hanging threads that were deliberately left open, but anyway that's enough of me talking…I now present to you…my loyal readers the final chapter, READ, REVIEW( A writer's Main source of Motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Epilogue: A Funeral and a New Era Begins**

**Saturday- TV: 7:00 am**

"_Good Morning Neo-Gotham City I'm Tom Monroe and with me always is my co-host Kim Brooms. Kim_

_**Kim**: Thanks Tom. We are now heading into the 5th day of what we here at the news station are calling the Battle for Gotham. As many of you know just 5 days ago the police were in a Battle Royale against the extreme vigilantes known as the Knightbreed. The battle was vicious and bloody and left many wounded or dead. Tom. _

_**Tom**: That's right Gothamnites as you can see on your screen now this was the battle of the century and as our dedicated officers trying their best to subdue the crazed individuals and in a sudden surprise the Jokerz arrived on the scene to cause more Mayhem as they released some sort of toxic gas upon the fighters. Our officers would have died if it wasn't for the timely intervention of Batman. Kim_

_**Kim:** It seems the mysterious hero arrived to administer an antidote to the gas distributed by the Jokerz….we tried to get a statement from Commissioner Gordon about the whole affair but again the Commissioner was silent on the matter. _

_**Tom:** Our next top story is the explosion that rocked the Neo-Gotham Convention Center…so far the explosion has been shrouded in mystery with some saying it was a gas leak and others saying it was a military air strike but more on that later. Kim_

_**Kim:** Our next top story is one that brings great sadness to this fair city and that is the death of Bruce Wayne…._

* * *

**McGinnis Household- 7:05 am**

Terry McGinnis stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom making the final adjustments to the black tie that belonged to his funeral suit. He pulled the tie upwards and positioned it in the center and then took a deep breath and then slowly released the air from his lungs. The young man stared at himself in the mirror for the longest and he studied the sad look upon his face. It had been a few days since the death of his mentor Bruce Wayne and the weight of his death was just now starting to sink in, the mysterious old man that he had met by chance and transformed his life forever was dead. The man that had given him, some punk kid a purpose…a calling, was dead…murdered by Derek Powers and his assassin Inque. At that thought Terry leaned forward onto the sink and he released another sigh, his expression turned from a sad one to a hard glare.

'_Damn'_ he thought to himself, '_Powers and Inque'_ he continued before letting his grip tighten on the edge. In the past couple of days he had been searching for Powers and Inque but they both were in the wind, but he wasn't too worried about Powers because he knew that Neo-Gotham was his hometown, he wouldn't be going too far and justice would be served to him very soon. Terry's true worry though was Inque, according to Damian she was an international assassin meaning that by now she could be anywhere in the world and there was no telling if she would ever re-surface again and that was something that didn't sit well with him. The fact that she thinks she can just kill and runaway, she was sorely mistaken if she thought that she could participate in the killing of Bruce Wayne and get away with it.

'_I don't care how long it takes Inque…..I will find you'_ he thought sternly to himself.

**KNOCK! KNOCK! **

Terry was broken from his musings by the knock at the door.

"Who is it?" he asked turning to the door.

"It's your mother"

Terry pushed off of the sink and opened the door allowing his mother Mary McGinnis to enter and she was dressed in a black funeral dress of her own.

"Are you okay Terry?" she asked concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah Mom I'm fine" he replied in a low tone.

"Terry..." she started.

"Really, I'm fine mom" he interrupted putting on a reassuring smile. Mary studied her son's face and the smile that he gave her but she knew that he was hurting inside. In the few months that he had been working for Bruce Wayne she had noticed a significant change in his personality. He was more focused, more responsible, he had been going to school everyday and he had been staying out of trouble; not once had any trouble out of him which is very surprising seeing as how she knew that her son was a magnet for trouble. She had Bruce Wayne to thank for that, it would seem that being around him had influenced Terry for the better, so it saddened her that this man….this fatherly figure that Terry needed had been taken away from him just like Warren had been taken away. Mary bit her lip and then smiled at her emotionally tough son, she gently grabbed his head and pulled him towards her and kissed him on the forehead.

"Come on, we're going to be late" she said turning around and leaving the bathroom with Terry right behind her.

* * *

**Living Room**

"You know Mom you and Matt don't have to go with me"

"I know we don't have to Terry but we want to" she said to him.

"Speak for yourself Mom" chimed Matt McGinnis from the couch; he too was wearing his own funeral suit.

"Hush Matthew" Marry stated rubbing his hair a bit "Terry Mr. Wayne was very nice to us….he gave you a job and got you into a good College, it would be a crime if we didn't go to his funeral"

Terry released a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Alright." He replied.

Mary nodded her head and then grabbed her purse that was on the edge of the couch, once she had her purse she began to walk to the front door.

"Come on, I don't want to be late" said Marry exiting the modest apartment.

Matt got off of the couch and hurried after his mother leaving Terry alone in the apartment. Terry stood still in his spot for a long moment mentally preparing himself for the funeral of his mentor. Once he gathered his wits he held his head high and proceeded out of the apartment.

* * *

**Across Town- Young Household- Same Time**

Barbara Gordon-Young zipped up her black funeral dress and then looked at herself in the medium sized vanity mirror within the room that she shared with her husband Mayor Sam Young. Barbara stared at her reflection for a minute before lowering her head and exhaling.

"Bruce" she whispered. Her mind went to the day that she got the call that he had died, Damian had called her and informed her of his death and she remembered how she almost crashed her car at the sudden surprising news. At first she thought this was some type of joke or mistake or that he was wrong but then she remembered who she was talking to…very rarely did Damian ever joke nor did he ever make a mistake and this was something she doubted very seriously that he would be wrong about…. his father being dead.

After a few minutes of going back and forth Damian had told her where she could find him and she wasted no time in going to see him but she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

* * *

**Flashback- Tuesday- Slums- Dr. Thompkins Office- 1:35am**

Barbara barged though the doors and into the office of a woman that she had known for years; her friend Dr. Leslie Thompkins. She looked around a second but she didn't have to look very long before Carolyn walked into the room.

"Auntie Barbara?"

"Hi Carolyn. Where is your mother?" she asked quickly.

"IN HERE BARBARA!" a voice called out. Barbara heard the call and her eyes landed upon an open door with a set of stairs leading downward, she started for the stairs but she was stopped by Carolyn.

"Wait, you can't go in there yet."

"Why not?"

"I have to inoculate you first, we got a patient whose highly radioactive" Carolyn answered reaching into her white coat and pulling out a fresh syringe and a vial of liquid. Barbara patiently waited as Carolyn filled the syringe and then injected her with the liquid.

"Thank you Carolyn" Barbara said before passing by her and going down the steps.

* * *

**Basement- Examination Room**

Barbara entered the cool basement to see Leslie at the edge of a slab like table and on the slab was the dead body of Bruce Wayne. He had been stripped of his clothes and appeared to be getting prepared for an autopsy. Barbara took a few shaky steps forward as her eyes were locked upon his dead form. Her eyes roamed over the bruises and burns that adorned his body and she knew what Damian had told her about him going out as Batman and taking on Powers was true. Barbara bit her lip as she reached out and gently touched his face that was starting to grow cold.

"You're not dreaming Barbara" came Leslie's voice from the side.

Barbara turned her head and eyed the woman in the wheelchair.

"Are you sure…because this damn sure feels like one?"

"I've been trying to wake myself up for the past 15 minutes" Leslie replied with a small smile "But he is dead"

"…it was bound to happen right…we all die one day" Barbara said softly while removing her hand from his cold face.

"True….but the day we die was always the day before him…..not after" Leslie added.

Barbara nodded her head at the statement; despite Bruce's ripe old age of 82 she had no doubt in her mind that he would outlive her. He would always be here in Gotham but now that notion, that thought was shattered. A surreal feeling…much like the feeling that Leslie and Terry had felt surrounded her as well.

'_Is….he is. He's really dead'_ she thought slowly to herself taking a step back and turning away from his motionless body.

"How…..How did he die?" Barbara asked eyes away from Bruce and Leslie.

"..…He suffered a massive heart attack, much like the heart attack I told him about several years ago. I won't know the full damage until we…..do an autopsy. Carolyn is getting everything ready right now"

Barbara still in a surreal like state rubbed her hand down her face and nodded her head signifying that she understood what was being said to her. The hardened woman turned her head once more and cast another glance at the man she had known for decades.

"Those radiation burns…..can you do anything with them?"

"Like I told Damian, Carolyn and I will fix him up as best as we can, I've been prepared for something like this for a few years now. Bruce being who is can't simply just die and be buried….people will want to see him"

"Which reminds me…..I'm going to have to call Damian again"

"Why?"

"So we can iron out the detail on exactly how we're going to break the news to the public that Bruce Wayne is dead. Look's like this night has just gotten that much longer. Leslie…as soon as you finish…..give me a call"

"First call I make" Leslie replied.

Barbara nodded her head again and then swiftly turned and exited the exam room passing by Carolyn on her way out.

* * *

**Present- Young Household**

Barbara shook herself from the memory and allowed her focus to return to her reflection in the mirror. In the days that was led up to the funeral she had discussed the details with Damian and Terry on what they were going to say and they had all decided on a plausible explanation that wouldn't arouse too much suspicion and scare Derek Powers away, the person that they had all agreed that they would take down and they would take him down hard.

Once the details were settled and the days rolled by and the reality of the situation started to sink in Barbara found herself feeling sad and depressed. While she and Bruce had had their difference over the years and there was bitterness surrounding everything that had happened during her cape cowl days she still held a special place for him in her heart. He was a very big part of her life and for him to die and to die the way he did only added to her sadness. As she continued to stare at herself and think about Bruce she could feel tears beginning to well up within her eyes and she quickly put her hands to her eyes.

'_Don't cry…don't you dare cry, he wouldn't like it if you cried'_ she thought to herself.

"Barb….you ready….to go" came the voice of her husband Sam Young as he entered their bedroom. He was in his funeral clothes as well and that was only because Bruce being one of Gotham's elite and he being the mayor of Neo-Gotham had no choice but to make an appearance to keep those that backed him happy…namely the other Gotham elites. The mayor of Neo-Gotham looked at his wife's reflection in the vanity mirror and he could see the sad expression.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked walking to her and placing his comforting hands on her shoulders.

"I'm fine…I-I just hate funerals" she replied lamely trying to dry her eyes without letting her mascara run. Sam studied her face before he scrunched his eyes up a bit.

"…..Barb you do know I know when you're lying right"

Barbara didn't answer him she just continued to look at herself in the mirror and force the tears in her eyes to recede. Sam looked at his wife patiently waiting for her to answer and he could see several emotions playing across her face and he could see her internally debating whether or not she wanted to reveal the reason for her sadness. After a few more moments she finally answered.

"Yes, I know you know when I'm lying. I'm sad because…..I knew Bruce Wayne"

"You knew him?" Sam questioned in shock "How…and did you know him well?"

"I knew him very well…..about as well as I know you or as well as you know me" she answered softly, "I was in love with him once"

Sam's eyes widened considerably at the sudden and honest news from his wife, to say that he was surprised would be a complete understatement.

"You…..and Bruce Wayne, and you were in love with him…..did he love you back…better yet how long ago was this? I thought I knew about all of your old loves, why are you telling me this right now?" he asked.

Barbara listened to each and everyone one of his questions and she turned around to face him.

"Because you asked." She stated "Sam, I know that being married to me means putting up with my…mysteriousness and you've done it…been doing it for years and I thank you for that, I thank you for not pressuring me to….reveal certain things about myself until I was ready. I remember a few weeks ago you told me that you would always be here…waiting until I was ready, well, I'm ready. I'm ready to tell you about my past, a large part of my past that I've kept hidden and locked away. So, tonight after you've given your speech to the public….we're going to have a long overdue talk" she said to him.

Sam could do nothing but nod his head slowly, he had been waiting for this for a long time, to know her mysterious past and finally his patience was going to pay off. Barbara leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I'll be in the car" she said before passing him and heading out of their bedroom.

* * *

**Wayne Manor- Same Time**

Yinn slowly let his eyes part and allowed his eyes to come into focus on the bright ray of sunshine that filtered in through the window he was meditating in front of within the living room of Wayne Manor.

The old soul let a small smile grace his lips as he looked at the sun.

'_The start of new day'_ he thought in his mind. Yinn turned his head as he heard the soft footsteps of his friend/employer/partner Damian Wayne; he saw that the younger man was dressed black funeral attire and talking to himself while walking towards the entrance to the bat-cave. Yinn rose to his feet and proceed to follow after him.

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

"I know this is a shock but rest assured in the coming weeks you all will get to know me and my plans." Damian said to himself as he walked down the steps and into the batcave. He looked up and made his way over to the bat-computer and he turned the machine on, "This may come as a shock but I can assure you that…..No." he stated letting out a sigh while waiting for the computer to boot up.

"Problem Master Wayne?" Yinn asked. Damian turned to see him quickly coming down the steps.

"Several" Damian replied

"Why don't you start with the most pressing problem and maybe I can help you" said Yinn.

"My speech" Damian answered.

"Speech? Speech for what?"

Damian heaved a sigh and turned to fully face his friend; he bit his lip and then heaved another sigh. He knew Yinn well enough to know that he wasn't going to like what he was about to tell him.

"I think it's time for Damian Wayne to receive some attention from the public eye" he stated seriously looking Yinn in the eyes.

"…are you insane?" Yinn asked with wide eyes.

"I knew you would say that but if we're going to stay we need to give the city a reason to keep this mansion in-tact, not only that but I'm taking my father's company out of the grasp of that rat bastard Powers. I hacked into the Wayne-Powers database and I read over the contract that my father signed with him. If he should die then Powers would gain total control over the company and all of my father's shares since he doesn't have any legal heirs."

"Wait…you aren't legally bound already?"

"No, my birth isn't something that Bruce could explain to the public…or show any legal documentation and any time I was in public back in the day they really didn't care about me…just Bruce and his philandering ways"

"What about Master Grayson isn't he the next to inherit…?" Yinn started then stopped because of Damian shaking his head.

"No, Dick…forged his own way and got his own millions when he took over Haley's Circus. He took himself out of Bruce's shadow and nullified any chance of receiving anything."

"So how are you going to prove that you're Bruce's heir?"

"One of the many things that Amanda Waller and I went over in Metropolis." Damian replied.

"What else did the two of you talk about?" Yinn asked shifting in his spot slightly.

Damian folding his arms across his chest and then leaned on the bat-computer.

"The first thing we talked about was my father's death"

* * *

**Flashback- Days Ago- Metropolis- 2:45 am- Amanda Waller's Apartment**

Damian lifted the window to the modest apartment and he deftly slipped inside the dark room.

* * *

Damian's feet hit the white carpet and it was only a second later that he heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked. His head whipped to the left to see a very old and very plump Amanda Waller standing at the ready.

"Please move so I can blow you to hell" Amanda stated in a threatening tone.

"Well that's not a very nice way to treat an old…employee" Damian replied.

"I know that voice….Lights" she stated.

The lights in the apartment switched on allowing the two to see each other clearly.

"Wayne"

"Waller"

A few tense seconds passed before Amanda lowered her shotgun and released a breath she had been holding.

"Do you want Coffee?" she asked while slowly shuffling her old feet towards her kitchenette while placing her shotgun on the counter.

"No, I don't want Coffee" Damian replied following behind her.

"Tea?"

"No."

"Juice?"

"No."

"Water?"

"No."

"What do you want then Damian, it has to be something important…seeing as how I haven't seen you in almost a decade." She said grabbing the coffee pot and filling it with water. Damian eyed a stool next to the counter and he pulled it out a sat down and he stared at the older woman in front of him.

"What I want is answers."

Amanda turned on her stove and set the pot on one of the eyes; she then turned around and faced the younger man.

"Answers to what?" she asked.

"Derek Powers" he replied.

Amanda's eyes widen for a second and then they returned to normal, she swallowed hard for a second and then folded her arms across her chest.

"Why do you want to know about Derek Powers?"

"Roughly 4 hours ago he and an international assassin by the name of Inque murdered my father"

"WHAT!" Amanda exclaimed truly shocked by the information just presented to her, for a full second Amanda was completely flabbergasted….shocked, which is a hard concept for her because she is a woman who has seen and heard every single shocking thing one person could hear in a lifetime.

"I didn't stutter Waller" Damian responded.

"I can understand Inque…I've heard of her and her, brutal efficiency but Powers. Even though Bruce is as old as I am I would think he could handle someone like Derek Powers"

"Maybe if Powers was still human instead of a Meta…..but don't worry the old man gave as good as he got"

"What do you mean instead of a Meta?" Amanda questioned.

"Derek Powers was helping Kobra; he was using Wayne-Powers resources to create a very potent Nerve Gas. The delivery deal didn't go down as planned and he was exposed to the nerve gas, instead of dying though he managed to reverse the effects using intense radiation; a side effect the _'cure'_ is that he's able to generate and emit radiation from his body"

"Sounds like Bruce had his hands full. So what do you want to know about Powers?"

"Why wasn't he detained when he made that blatant lie about working with the government against Kobra?"

Amanda released a sigh and shook her head.

"I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass." She said under her breath.

"Powers is a threat that I'm going to take down but I need to know how high up in government his power reaches." Damian stated

"I've been out the game for a while but I know for a fact that the new director of things wouldn't work with Powers to save her life. He's too slimly for her"

"But not for you" Damian said slowly while narrowing her eyes. He saw her shift a bit in her spot and that told him a lot…her body language was telling him she was about to reveal something…a long hidden secret.

"Powers probably got away with saying that because he mostly likely cashed in a one time no questions asked favor." She replied to him.

"And what the hell is a no questions asked favor?"

"Exactly how it sounds; myself and few key people who are still active owe him 1 single favor for something that he helped us with a long time ago."

"What"

"….Let it go Damian, it's a can of worms you do not want to open" Amanda warned. Damian shot up from his seat and stormed over to her, his 6'3 height towering over her 5'3, but she stared up at him unafraid.

"He murdered my father I'm not letting anything go, now tell me."

"I'm not going to outright tell you, why don't you put those detective skills to good use and find out for yourself. Beside you're not here for that, I answered your question. Powers doesn't have any friend in government at least none that I know about so he's all yours to take down"

Damian grinded his teeth together in slight anger but he could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't going to tell him anything, one of the major pains in working with Amanda Waller, like his father she was a Fort Knox of secrets.

"Is that all Damian…or is there something else?" Amanda asked after a long minute. Damian sucked in a breath and turned and backed away from her.

"Yeah there is something else…you owe me" he stated glancing over his shoulder.

"I know. So, is this the part where you cash in your favor?"

"It is"

"What do you want?"

"To be alive" he stated cryptically while turning around and staring at her.

* * *

**About an Hour Later**

"I'll do what I can to forge you some birth certificates." said Amanda setting her cup of tea down on the counter.

"See that you do...and I need a rush job this one Waller. Time is of the essence." Damian replied, moving away from the counter and heading towards the window.

"Damian!" Waller called out.

Damian stopped in his tracks and turned to her.

"What?"

"It goes against my better judgment but…..Project Batman Beyond"

Damian's eyes widen at the name and then they narrowed.

"What is that?"

"You're the detective…..figure it out, once you do…..comeback and see me" she said with a small smirk.

Damian pursed his lips into a thin line and then turned back to the window; he stepped onto the seal and then jumped out.

* * *

**Present- Bat-Cave**

"Project Batman Beyond?" Yinn repeated with intrigue "If that's what Powers worked with this Amanda Waller on then it can't be anything good"

"My speech is problem number 1…..that right there is Problem number 2"

"What's problem number 3?"

**BRING! BRING!** Went the sound of the bat-computer's phone system going off; Damian released a sigh and then turned around to the computer.

"Problem number 3….is Rose" he said before hitting a button.

* * *

The computer screen fizzled for a second before an image of Rose Wilson aka **Ravager **pulled up on the screen. Rose like Barbara and Damian had only aged gracefully, she was in her late 40s and roughly the same age as Damian, she still had her long white hair but if you looked closely a few strands were turning gray. She still had the fair skin complexion with minimal to hardly any wrinkles, the same vibrant blue eyes only she didn't have a white eye patch covering her left eye, she had long ago gotten a cybernetic replace for the eye that was taken from her by her father.

"DAMIAN WHAT THE FUCK!" she shouted angrily.

"Good Morning Ms. Rose it's nice to see you again" Yinn interrupted in a cheerful tone.

"IT'S JUST ROSE! AND HI YINN!" she shouted turning to him briefly before turning back to Damian.

"What do you want Rose I'm busy" he replied in a nonchalant tone.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY MONEY!"

"You mean our money" he countered.

"I MEAN MY MONEY!"

"Look I had to liquidate the account alright…I had to use it for…."

"WHY MY MONEY WHY DIDN"T YOU USE YOUR OWN FUCKING MONEY!" she roared.

"It's our money, plural and I couldn't use my money because my money is tied up paying those people to find your goddamn father and brothers, not to mention funding the fight against Leviathan! KOBRA! AND MY FUCKING MOTHER SO YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM ALRIGHT!" he shouted, angrily slamming his palms down onto the computer.

Damian and Rose stared at each other with angry expressions for a long minute, neither saying anything, Yinn stood to the side shaking his at the two of them.

'_Children…both of them'_ he thought.

"Fine….you don't have to yell Damian" Rose finally said folding her arms across her chest, "Next time, pick up the fucking phone before you do something like that, do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for your daughter to see your card being cut up because of insufficient funds"

"I'm sure your pride will recover…as will the account in a few days" He replied dryly "How is Madeline?"

"Fine, her training is going well…although she misses her father…. and her nanny"

"I'm not a nanny" Yinn chimed in seriously.

"Could've fooled me" Rose threw back, "When are you coming back Damian, you've been gone longer than usual"

Damian hung his head for a second before looking back up at her.

"I'm not coming back"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm staying here in Gotham"

Rose studied him for a moment pursing her lips into a thin line before replying.

"Does this sudden want have anything to do with your father dying?" she asked but already knew the answer.

"Perhaps"

"Damian. You have responsibilities here…your mother is starting to make moves and…"

"I know; which is why I'm going to alert her to my presence here in Gotham. If she knows I'm here she'll coming running."

"You're going to turn that city into a War-zone"

"I'll have some help to keep her at bay as well as Kobra."

"So you're going to fight your mother and Kobra…in Gotham…...you're going need my help"

"No, you stay where you are."

"Like hell."

"Rose I'm telling you to…"

"Since when did I start taking orders from you? Maybe if we were married I would consider what you have to say"

"You just couldn't resist throwing that in there." He said shaking his head while letting a small smile grace his lips.

Rose only smirked and then her smirked turned in smile too.

"It'll take me some time to get in contact with Zoë and Christian….I'm sure they'll want to know what's going on"

"Take you're time and tell each of them that I'll be contacting them as well. My father's death has made me have to adjust our whole operation but everything will be back to normal…however, I think it's time to change our banner."

"Into a Bat I presume."

Damian stared at her before reaching towards a button on the console.

"See you soon Rose and tell Madeline…..I Love her" he said before ending the call.

* * *

Damian looked at the blank screen and he smiled again.

"So, I guess pretty soon the whole Wayne Family is going to be here. I must say I've missed Zoë and Christian I haven't seen them in a whole year."

"Yeah….It'll be nice to see them again." Damian replied turning to him, "I need you do me a favor"

"Anything" said Yinn.

Damian jerked his head over to the Batmobile; Yinn turned his head to the vehicle and that's when his eyes landed on something attached to the end of the vehicle.

"What is that?"

"A gift for NGCPD that I need you to deliver…along with this letter." Said Damian while reaching into his back pocket and removing a sealed envelope with the letter inside. Yinn took the envelope and then eyed the batmobile again.

"You want me to do this right now?"

"Yes." Damian stated pushing away from the Bat-computer and walking towards the stairs "The funeral is getting ready to start….I…I have to…."

"Go on Damian…I'll take care of it" said Yinn nodding his head. Damian nodded his head back to him and then proceeded up the stairs and then out of the Bat-Cave.

* * *

**Across Town- 7:25 am: Neo Gotham Hospital**

A bandaged and solemn looking Brian Millwood entered the busy hospital and made his way to the front desk.

* * *

"Excuse Me"

"Good Morning how may I help you?" asked the nurse at the front desk.

"I'm looking for an Evan Greene"

The nurse looked down towards her sign in sheet and she scanned the document for a long second until her eyes lit up upon seeing the name.

"Yes, he is in room 515"

"May I see him?" Brian asked.

"Yes just sign your name" she answered pointing to the sheet next to his hand. Brain picked up a pen and then signed his name. Once he did that he moved away from the desk and began to walk down the hall.

Brian Millwood was a young man that was completely lost. Since he enacted his retribution against Terminal for some reason the satisfaction that he had felt had vanished and in its place was a feeling of emptiness that he just couldn't explain. He thought at this point in time with Terminal gone he would be the happiest person on earth instead of the most depressed. Brian felt as if he was alone in the world. The young man made his way to the elevator and pressed the up button.

**DING!** Went the sound of the elevator arriving; he stepped onto the elevator and watched as the doors closed.

* * *

**5th Floor**

The elevator doors opened and Brian stepped off and continued down another hallway his eyes searching for the room. It didn't take him long to find the room, he came to a stop and shakily gripped the door handle. Taking a deep breath Brian opened the door and went inside.

* * *

**Inside the Room**

Brian entered the room and the first thing that he saw was the unconscious form of his best friend Evan Greene. Evan was motionless, still, almost as if he was dead but the soft beeping of the heart monitor proved that he was alive. Brian's mood worsened as he took each step towards his best friend's bed.

"Ev" he whispered. Brian stopped at the foot of the bed; he looked down at the bed and at the chart that was hooked on the end. Brian grabbed the chart and he began to read.

'_Patient stable…significant blood loss…..slipped into a Coma!?' _

Brian's head shot up from the chart and looked at the motionless Evan again; he dropped the chart and went towards his friends head.

"Evan…..wake up man…..WAKE UP!" Brian shouted but his shouts did nothing to rouse his comatose best friend. Brian's face fell even more as he continued to stare at Evan, _'This…..this is my fault. It's all my fault, if I hadn't….'_

His hands went to his face and he rubbed his eyes in frustration, he gritted his teeth in anger because all in one fell swoop his life had come crashing down. His parents were dead, his sister and Aunt had both left town on his command and he didn't know where they had gone which was for the better because he had this nagging feeling that he was being watched and his family had been through enough death so he wanted to stay his distance, the same thing went for his girlfriend Max. He had wanted to go to her…to confide in her but his training with the Knightbreed told him that he was being followed so he didn't want to endanger her either so he stayed away. Brian was only visiting Evan because he knew that the Knightbreed or the remaining members were the ones that were following him and they wouldn't injure or hurt Evan because they didn't know that Evan had helped him. In their eyes Evan was still part of their brotherhood while he….was an outcast…a traitor.  
Brian took his hands away from his eyes and once again looked at Evan, he had his revenge but he had nothing else…..a true example of a Pyrrhic victory. Brian hung his head low and slowly started for the door. He reached the door and grabbed the handle.

"I'm sorry that I caused you to end up this way Evan….I truly am" he said in a whisper; with a turn of the knob the door opened and Brian swiftly exited the room.

* * *

**Outside the Hospital**

Brian exited the hospital and he pulled his jacket a bit closer to his body to shield himself from the cold wind, the winter season was heading to Gotham. The lost young man turned his head to the left and to the right and that when he spotted a payphone. Rubbing his hands together creating a bit of friction heat he made his way over to the phone.

* * *

**Across the Street**

Standing across from the hospital in inconspicuous clothing….blue jeans, black shirt, black jacket and black shades was the Queen of the Knightbreed…..Helena Bertinelli aka the Huntress. The beautiful and deadly woman stood still in her spot glaring a death glare at her target, the traitorous Brian Millwood.

Helena bared her teeth a bit at the sight of him; she had been following him for the past couple of days waiting and plotting to exact her revenge; because of Brian and his betraying of the brotherhood half her vigilantes were dead and the other half were scattering to the winds. Since the incident a few days ago anyone who was associated with the Knightbreed or with the Jokerz were considered to be public enemies and were to be apprehended or shot on sight. Helena gripped her fist tightly at that thought but the true source of her anger at Brian was of his murder of her little sister Charlotte-Gage-Radcliff better known as Misfit. She remembered how Misfit, with her dying breath manage to reveal to her the betrayal done by Brian and that he was the one that stabbed her.

'_You will be avenged'_ she thought darkly to herself. Helena had been planning on killing Brian days ago but she knew that he was cunning and that Vanquish had done a very good job of training him, he kept moving around and was always alert. She didn't want to risk an open fight, no, she simply wanted to walk up behind him and stab him in the heart…just like he stabbed Misfit.

Helena walked forward brushing past a middle aged man and started across the street.

* * *

**Payphone**

Brian took the phone off of the hook and then he reached in his pocket and removed a yellow card. He waved the card in front of a scanning pad and after he did that the phone beeped and he began to dial a set of numbers.

**RING! RING! RING! CLICK!**

"_Hello you've read Max's phone you know what to do" _

**BEEP!**

Brian heard the message beep and he let out a sigh.

"Hi Max…it's me."

* * *

Helena crossed the street and she stood at the end of the block eyes locked on Brian back as he was talking on the payphone.

* * *

**Payphone**

"I….I know I said that I would see you again but, I can't. It's not safe." He began then stopped. He released a tired sigh and rubbed his tired eyes for a second before he started talking again.

"Max, I can't begin to describe how sorry I am for not be able to do this in person…I-I want to it's just that…..I can not put you in danger, the people closest to me have already been through enough and…I just want you to be safe; which means that….we can't be together."

* * *

Helena breathed steadily as she approached her enemy, she blocked out the sounds of the busy street around her and the people that passed her by. She was completely focused, the most focused that she had ever been in her life.

* * *

**Payphone **

"Max, I know you're going to be upset…maybe even hate me and you're going to disagree with me but right now…..right now is not the best time for us…..or rather for me. They are watching me…the Knightbreed or what's left of them…I know they are, they know I betrayed them for my sister and they'll be looking for me…possibly to kill. Heh….I've made a complete mess of my life all in the pursuit of something that I'd thought would make me happy….but when I finally got it, all I received was….nothing. All I have now is this deep hole of nothingness in my heart and I don't even think that your love would be enough to fill it…and it wouldn't be fair for you to try. There is a part of me that's…that's missing or lost and I have to find it…on my own.

* * *

She was close now and her calm heartbeat pumped just a little bit faster in the anticipation of the kill. Helena straightened her right arm and allowed the hidden arrow in her sleeve slide down and into her hand.

* * *

**Payphone **

"Max you deserve someone that can….return your affections fully and not someone as damaged as I am weighing you down. God….I really wish that I could just…..look into your eyes one more time, those beautiful brown eyes. Max please don't hate me for this…please don't…I just need you to understand….and…"

**BEEP! **

Brian heard the beep which signified that the message was full; he let a groan and then hung up the phone. He leaned his head against the payphone and he swallowed hard.

* * *

Helena quickened her pace, she was a few steps away from vengeance, she could already feel the arrow in her had piercing his flesh and heart.

'_For Charlotte'_ she thought rearing her hand back, but before she could make her move against the unaware Brian she felt three sharp pricks hit her neck. Instantly her hand went to her neck and she felt three thin but sharp needles.

A whisper of a gasp escaped her throat as her eyes started to droop and she began to sway. Her swaying caused a few people to stop and stare at her. Helena suddenly fell backwards and into the awaiting arms of a man in his late 40s to early 50s.

* * *

Brian heard a few people gasp and he turned to the right to see a woman pointing to something behind him. He turned around to see a woman collapse into a man's arms. The Man quickly turned slightly away from Brian and he gave him and the people a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry…..she's my wife. She has fainting spells like this all the time." He smoothly lied. The man glanced at Brian and then swiftly turned all the way around and began to walk down the street with Helena in tow.

* * *

Through droopy eyes Helena stared up at the man's face and her eyes widen in recognition.

"**A-Azrael**…." She whispered.

The man looked down at her because of her whispering his name.

"Don't worry my love…all will be explain in time but for now….you must sleep"

Helena grunted but the drugs in her system were powerful and before she knew it she was unconscious.

* * *

**Payphone **

'_That was weird'_ Brian thought before shaking his head. He moved away from the payphone and he faced the machine again. He debated with himself as whether or not he should call again but ultimately he decided against it. He figured that he had said enough so that Max would understand where he was coming from and plus he knew that if he were to call again he may just actually get her on the phone and then he would hear her voice and it would be that much harder for him to do what is necessary…..and that was to break up with her and leave Neo-Gotham City.

"It's the only way to keep her safe" he said in a low voice to himself. Brian sucked in a breath of air and started for the right. He walked a few paces down the sidewalk until he reached a parked red motorcycle…..compliments of a group of Jokerz he had run into the other day.

Brian swung his leg over bike and then grabbed his helmet. He put his helmet on his head and he slammed the visor down.

'_There is nothing left for me here…..I need to go somewhere else anywhere but here….I need some time to think…..and a fresh start' _he thought solemnly to himself. Brian started up the engine and revved it a few times before pulling out of the spot and zooming down the street.

* * *

**Neo-Gotham Cemetery- 7:45 am**

Max looked down at her cell phone to see that she had 1 new message, she held it up and was getting ready to flip it open but she stopped when she saw her best friend Terry McGinnis walking with his family towards her. She quickly placed her phone in her black purse and smiled a sad smile at her friend

"Hey Terry"

"Hey Max" he replied reaching her and giving her hug, "Thanks for coming" he continued.

"Of course I came. This Wayne guy gave you a job, got you into Hamilton University…effectively keep you from going back to Juvie or real prison…I owe him" she joked.

"Hello Maxine" came the voice of Mary McGinnis. Max and Terry broke from their hug and she eyed his mother.

"Hello Mrs. McGinnis it's good to see you again."

"Pink hair?" Mary questioned, "Wasn't it green"

"Yeah it was but it turns out green wasn't my color…so I opted for something more of my style" she replied with a smile.

"I love it" chimed Matt. Max turned her eyes to him and affectionately pinched him on the cheek.

"Thanks little man. You're getting cuter every year I see, probably a lady killer already huh?"

Matt smiled at her comment and he blushed a bit. Terry turned away from them and he looked at all of the people that were arriving at the cemetery. He could see the opened coffin that was hovering over a six foot hole and Bruce's picture set up next to the coffin.

"Pretty big turn out" Terry stated still looking at the arriving guest.

"Yeah, I'm just as shocked as you…..who knew a recluse had so many friends." Max replied.

"These people are not his friends…Wayne didn't have any friends. I don't who these people are but if I had to guess…employees maybe and the rest are just socialites with nothing better to do….and of course here's the news"

Mary, Matt and Max turned to the right to see a few news vans pull up and a news team getting out of the van with their equipment.

"Why are the news people here?" Matt asked.

"Because Bruce Wayne…pretty much the backbone of Gotham is dead Matt…this is a big thing" he answered.

Terry continued to let his eyes roam over the people that were still pouring in and his eyes landed on Commissioner Gordon who was looking at him. She was standing to the side with her husband Mayor Sam Young, Barbara looked at him and she nodded her head slightly. Terry's lip curled up a bit in a slight smile and he nodded his head back at her. Barbara turned away from him and then she and Sam started for their seats.

"Hey…look whose here" came Max's voice.

Terry turned his head to the left and standing a few feet away was Dana Tan dressed in a black dress.

"Dana"

"Hey Mrs. McGinnis, Matt, how about we go find a seat" said Max.

Mary looked at her son and then at Dana and a smile appeared on her face, she knew that the two had some history and she knew that this was a private moment.

"That sounds like a good idea…come on Matt" she replied grabbing Matt by the arm and leading him towards the white chairs that were set up in front of Bruce's grave. Max gave Terry's arm a squeeze before she followed along behind the two.

* * *

Dana slowly walked towards Terry who was also closing the distance between them, the two teens came to a stop once they were close enough to the other and they spent a moment just looking into the other's eyes.

"Hey"

"Hey"

"I'm uh…I'm glad you came, even though you didn't have to" said Terry rubbing the back of his neck.

"What kind of supportive Girlfriend would I be if I didn't show up?" she asked with a smile.

Terry smirked at her comment and dropped his hand to his sides.

"Girlfriend…" He started "So, it's safe to say that you and I….are together again."

Dana lowered her head a bit and then stepped forward and grabbed both of his hands with her hands.

"We are….but you have to promise me something"

"Anything….name it"

"Just promise me you'll never hurt me again…..or lie to me"

Terry pursed his lips together in a thin line and then brought her right hand up to his lips and he kissed it lightly.

"I promise."

Dana smiled at him and he smiled back at her.

"GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN" came a loud voice over a microphone.

Terry and Dana turned to see Sam Young standing at the podium addressing the gathered crowd.

Terry and Dana, both hand in hand walked towards the sitting guest looking for a place to sit.

* * *

**Secret Lab- Same Time**

"HWRAAAH!" yelled Derek Powers as he hurled a chair across the lab "GODDAMN ALL OF YOU! HWRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he yelled again but this time releasing a wave of radiation.

"AHHH!" screamed two scientists who were unfortunately in the path of their enraged radioactive employer.

"Mr. Powers you must calm down….you're anger is the reason for you predicament" shouted a scientist from a platform up above. Derek looked up and curled his hand into a ball shape. Neon green radioactive energy formed in his palm.

"I KNOW!" he shouted throwing the ball. The ball hit the platform and melted the metal and made the scientist fall through the bottom and to the ground below in a heap. The scientist groaned and then rolled over in time to see Derek Powers stomp towards him. Derek stared down at the frightened man but in his enraged state he did see him he saw Batman…..or Inque.

Derek's foul mood was because of the news that was given to him about a day ago. After his battle with Batman and his defeat, he quickly made his way out of Wayne-Powers and found his way back to his secret lab for another skin graph, but to his horror the skin graphs were now impossible. Thanks to his battle with his enemies and him expending so much radiation his over all body temperature has risen; which means that his radiation eats through his skin twice as fast as it used to. His scientist put new skin on him but before he made it out of the door his radiation burned through it. Hour after hour and Day after Day he demanded his scientist to fix his situation but so far they haven't been able to create a new polymer that could protect him for any long period of time…and their failure only added to his rage.

Derek held up his hand getting ready to burn the cowering man beneath him when he heard a cell phone ring. He halted his assault and he turned around to a spare cell phone that he kept in the lab.

"Finally the little shit decides to call me back" he growled before turning back to the cowering man, "YOU! PUT THE PHONE ON SPEAKER!"

"Y-Y-Yes….M-Mr. Powers" he stuttered while scrambling from the floor and running to the cell phone.

The scientist flipped the phone open and pressed the speaker phone.

"Dad" came the light baritone voice of Derek's son Paxton Powers.

"Paxton…did you get my message"

"….I did….and yes I'm on the way to Gotham now, I should be there by 12:00. What is this emergency about?"

"Nevermind that boy….listen to me and listen good. I'm currently in a situation that will keep me from the public eye…I need you to step in for me and take control of Wayne-Powers"

"What!?"

"Bruce Wayne is dead. There is a clause in the contract that we both signed that states if either one of us dies…the other partner gets's full control of the company."

"That's good for you Dad"

"LISTEN!" Derek shouted "There is another clause in the contract that states if one of us dies then our heir or legal benefactor gets full control of whatever our shares we had…thus keeping the old contract in play which is what I don't want. Bruce Wayne didn't have any heir's that I know of…and I'm incapacitated for the moment…you need to get to Wayne-Powers and sign the company over to yourself because you are my heir."

"Why can't you do it when you get better?" Paxton asked in a bored tone.

"Because….I don't know when that will be and Wayne Powers needs a figure head…..also I don't want any last minute surprises. Bruce Wayne was a crafty son of a bitch…he may have a legal Benefactor out there somewhere…but it's been about 5 days which is the limit that I had set into the old contract. All that's needed is your signature; the old contract becomes null and void thus allowing you to have total and complete control over Wayne-Powers. Once I get better you'll sign the company back over to me…..am I clear."

"…"

"AM I CLEAR!?"

"…..Crystal"

"Good" Derek stated before giving the signal to end the call. The scientist hung up the phone and released a breath.

Derek gritted his teeth, his jaw bones and teeth clinching together tightly. He held up his head and let his eye sockets glance at every scientist in the lab.

"YOUR ONE JOB IS TO FIX ME! GOT IT!" he shouted glowing a menacing neon green for a moment.

"Yes…sir" they replied.

"GET TO WORK!"

* * *

**Neo-Gotham Cemetery- 8:45 am- Hill Top**

Standing far behind in the back on a lonely hill top over looking the funeral going on down below was Damian Wayne. He had black shades to cover his eyes, a long black coat that billowed in the wind and a black funeral suit. Damian had his hands jammed into his pockets as he listened to the voices on the wind of the people down below paying their last respects to his father. He took a breath and then released it into the brisk wind. Suddenly though, the wind picked up a bit and he quickly noticed that he wasn't alone anymore. Damian glanced to the left to see none other than** Superman** standing next to him. Superman was wearing a black form fitting outfit with a silver S in the middle of his chest. He had long ago had to let Clark Kent die so that allowed him to be Superman all of the time. The Man of Steel looked the same as he always did, handsome; with icy blue eyes, tight even complexion and jet black hair, the only change was that he had gray hairs on the sides of his head.

"Fancy seeing you here Kent" said Damian turning back to the funeral.

"Hello Damian, it's good to see that you're alright. And despite what you may think…Bruce has been and will always be my friend. Of course I came" Superman replied in a soft tone.

"Hmph" Damian grunted.

The two men stood there in silence on the hill top both watching the funeral processions.

"Is he really dead?" asked Superman breaking the silence.

"…Yes he is…I was there at his death. Hard to believe isn't it?"

"I didn't believe it when I first heard it…thought it was some sort of plan of his, still do"

"Hate to break it to you but, there is no master plan on this one Kent. Use those x-ray eyes of yours"

Superman glanced to the younger man and then back to the funeral; he narrowed his eyes and zoomed in on the funeral. His eyes found the dead body of Bruce Wayne and then he did a thorough x-ray vision scan.

"Well?" Damian asked.

"It's him…..it really is him" Superman replied allowing his vision to return to normal. The two fell into another silence as Superman's words were allowed to sink in; but the silence only last for a minute before it was again broken by the Man of Steel.

"Damian, I've been hearing about your exploits."

"Have you now?" he questioned with raised eyebrows "Pray tell what have you heard about….my exploits"

"Batman returning to Gotham…..you know what being Batman leads to…" Superman started before a chuckle escaped the lips of the man next to him, "Something funny?"

"Hahahahaha….It wasn't me that was being Batman Kent. My father found himself another protégé."

Superman let out a sigh and rubbed his chin.

"Do you know who it is?"

"I Do."

"Well then you have to tell him….or her…"

"He…already knows the gory details of the last time Batman cast his shadow over the world and…he wants to continue and I for one don't blame him. Do you know how much good Batman brings to the table?"

"No one is disputing the amount of good that Batman does Damian, what concerns me and everyone else is the amount of distrust he brings with him. Keeping tabs on people….Operating in the shadows"

"That's where these crazies operate Kent…in the shadows. A place you know nothing about. Someone has to do the job no one else wants to."

"Damian, now is not the time for this….Batman was and will always be a hero…but that's in the past and it needs to remain in the past. This is a different era…the masked vigilante is a thing of the past and…."

"I disagree. I think this _'different Era'_ needs a blast from the past. I think now….right now, is the perfect time for the Dark Knight to Rise again. Rise from the ashes of the past….better, smarter, stronger."

"Damian…"

"Kent"

Superman released another sigh and looked at the younger man next to him again. He could see that he was going on the defensive and an argument is definitely not what he had in mind when he arrived. He briefly hung his head for a second before holding it high again.

"Damian I'm not here to argue…..I'm just…..here to say goodbye to an old friend"

"Then pay your respects" Damian stated while taking a step forward.

"Damian wait." Superman called out.

Damian stopped in his tracks and he turned to back to his companion with his black jacket billowing in the wind.

"What?"

"If Bruce is truly dead….he deserves a proper funeral. A true Funeral surrounded by his real friends and family. And buried somewhere where Heroes are meant to be buried. I would like it if you would attend."

"I think this is the place my father would want to be buried…right next to his parents" Damian responded in an assured tone, "But a true funeral for him is a good idea….he deserves that at least. But as far as me attending…I have work to do. Goodbye Superman"

Damian swiftly turned away from him and continued his walking towards the funeral procession.

* * *

**Down Below **

"Amen" The Pastor announced.

"Amen" the gathered crowd repeated after him.

"Before we lay the dearly departed to rest is there anyone else who wants to say anything?" the Pastor announced to the gathered crowd.

"I would like to say something" came a voice.

The Pastor looked up while everyone turned around. From the back a man walked down the middle and towards the podium; of the people present only 2 knew the man. He continued forward until he reached the podium where the Pastor moved out of the way and allowed him to take his place.

Damian slowly reached up and took his black shades off and he let his eyes roam over the cameras and the people gathered in the crowd.

'_No turning back now'_ he thought to himself while holding his head high.

* * *

**In the crowd**

Mary McGinnis suddenly sunk a bit further in her seat at the sight of the man at the podium.

'_Oh My God….it can't be'_ she thought a bit frantically.

"Mom are you okay?" Matt whispered to her.

"Never better" she quickly whispered back.

* * *

**Podium**

"Good Morning everyone good morning, none of you know who I am so before I begin my eulogy I'd like to take this time to introduce myself. My name is…..Damian Wayne and Bruce Wayne is….was my Father."

* * *

**Later- Cemetery- 8:30am**

"This is insane…who knew Bruce Wayne had a kid" said Max.

"Who knew he was so hot" said Dana

"Hey" chimed Terry.

"Kidding Terry, kidding" she replied playfully nudging him. The three of them along with Mary and Matt McGinnis were standing off to the side. The funeral had ended and most of the guests were leaving but those that stayed around were murmuring about the hottest topic which was the bombshell of Damian Wayne being revealed to them. Rich socialites surrounded him as well as news cameras all wanting a statement from him about where he's been etc...

Terry looked at him and shook his head a bit, he couldn't hear what he was saying but he knew that whatever he was telling the people they were buying because they all smiled and laughed. While he was looking at him though Terry's mind drifted to the message that Bruce had left for him on the Bat computer and he wondered if Damian was going to comply with the message or was he going to stop him from continuing to be Batman. It was something that he had been dreading and dwelling on for the past couple of days; was Damian just going to show up one day and demand he return the suit…if that happened Terry had already prepared himself for a fight but he knew that Damian could defeat him in an instant.

'_I wonder is he just screwing with me…making me sweat.'_ Terry thought to himself still looking at Damian, but as he was looking, Damian turned his head and stared right back at him. Terry's eyes widen a bit and he turned away. He looked at his friends for a second and then turned his eyes back to Damian only to see him excuse himself from the people surrounding him and walk in his direction.

* * *

Damian reached Terry and his group and he looked at each of them with a warm and charming smile on his face.

"Hello, you must be Terry McGinnis. I've heard a lot about you, Damian Wayne." He said.

"Nice to meet you" Terry replied with a nod of his head.

"My Father spoke very highly of you; may I ask who your friends are?"

"Uh…..this is my best friend Max Gibson and my girlfriend Dana Tan"

"Hello it's nice to meet you lovely young ladies"

"You too" they both replied in unison.

Terry shook his head and then turned to the side a bit and allowed his mother and Matt to step forward.

"This is my brother Matt and my Mom."

Damian looked at them both but he let his eyes set on Mary, he narrowed his eyes a bit at the sight of her.

"It's nice to meet you both….I'm sorry, Mrs. McGinnis have we met before because I'm suddenly struck with a sense of déjà vu"

Mary let a calm smile grace her lips even though she was extremely nervous and her heart was pounding a mile a minute in her chest.

"Um…no, I just have one of those faces." She replied.

Damian lingered on her face for a moment before shaking his head.

"And a beautiful face it is" he said charmingly.

"Why are you here?" Terry asked quickly extending his head so his face was blocking his mother's face from Damian's line of sight.

"Ah, yes. Well like I said Terry my father….spoke very highly of you, so much so that my curiosity of your skills as his gopher was piqued. I would be overjoyed if you would be willing to show me those skills."

"Wait, what are you saying?" he asked.

"I'm offering you your old job back Terry. My Father may be dead but….I'm new to this city and during my acclimation I might need someone who knows the place….a helper. You'll still be a gofer though in every sense of the word…going for this and going for that, but the same deal my father offered you is still on the table…you know with the funding for Hamilton University and your…parole situation. I know about this because we kept in contact regularly. Although, if you accept I must warn you….I like my father can be quite difficult to work with…at least that's what I'm told, but if you're willing….I'm willing…so, do you think you're up to the challenge?"

Terry looked him in the eye and he smirked.

"Absolutely."

"Well then Terry….Welcome, to my World" said Damian holding out his hand. Terry looked down at the outstretched hand he confidently reached up and firmly shook it.

Damian broke the handshake and took a step back.

"It was nice to meet you all but I'm afraid I must be going…..Terry, I look forward to working with you"

"Likewise"

Damian gave them all another smile before he swiftly turned and walked away.

* * *

**Few Feet Away**

Barbara was standing off to the side with her husband and as before they both were conversing with one of the socialites at the funeral but really Sam was doing most of the talking. Barbara was surveying the area when her eyes landed on Damian talking to Terry and what she assumed to be his friends and family. At the sight of him Barbara couldn't help but shake her head at the fact that he decided to reveal himself the way he did and his decision to stay in Neo-Gotham. She had no doubt in her mind that from now on things would be a whole lot more interesting.

**BUZZZ! BUZZZ!** We the loud vibration of her cell phone. Barbara whispered an apology and grabbed her purse and opened it, she removed her cell phone and answered the call.

"Commissioner Gordon speaking"

"Commissioner this Detective Bullock"

"What is it Detective….and aren't you supposed to be on sick leave to let your injuries heal?"

"My injuries are fine….I heal faster when I'm at work. Listen though….something was just dropped off at our building and it's addressed to you."

"Addressed to me?"

"Yes."

"Is it something dangerous?"

"From the looks of it no…..but it could be dangerous….you just have to come see it for yourself"

"….I'm on my way" she replied hanging up the phone, '_It's always something'_ she said in her mind before getting her husbands attention.

* * *

**About an Hour later- NGCPD- Roof**

Commissioner Gordon pushed open the door that led to the roof and she calmly stepped onto the concrete roof. The first thing that caught her attention was that several of her officers and Detective Bullock were standing around a large circular object that was covered by a brown tarp. She shook her head and walked over towards them.

"Detective"

"Morning Commissioner, how was the funeral?" Montoya asked.

"Like any other funeral" the commissioner replied "What do we got?"

"I don't know it was dropped off on the roof"

"By whom?"

"We don't know, but we did find this letter"

Commissioner Gordon looked to her right just as Montoya produced an envelope. Barbara grabbed the letter and read the front.

"To Commissioner Gordon from an old friend" she read out loud. Barbara quickly opened the letter and pulled out the sheet of paper and she began to read.

"Commissioner?"

"Son of a Bitch" she said in an amused tone. Barbara folded the letter back up and walked towards the circular object; she grabbed the tarp and quickly removed it, "Heh….Heh….HAHAHA!" she laughed.

"Holy Hell" Montoya whispered in shock "What are we supposed to do with this thing?" she asked.

Barbara looked at her and then smiled.

"Plug it in."

* * *

**Across Town- 10:15 am- Neo-Gotham Channel 7 News Station- Meeting Room**

News Chief Fredrick Dippson, a plump man in his 40s with graying brown hair, tired brown eyes, a light pale complexion and a 5' o clock shadow stood in front of all his reporters. His tired eyes roamed over all of them and then a gruff look appeared on his face.

"Did anyone happened to watch Bruce Wayne's funeral" he asked in a demanding tone, no one raised their hand "That's just what I thought…none of you were watching so all of you missed the scoop of the fucking century. Right now every news outlet is wondering what I'm wonder and what you're all going to be wondering in the next 2 seconds…WHO THE HELL….. IS DAMIAN WAYNE!"

"To be fair chief the Bruce Wayne funeral was a fluff piece…..we're all out trying to get real stories" came the voice of Fredrick's top in field reporter Veronica Vale.

"Can it Vale, this is a real story. This guy….Damian Wayne claims to be the long lost son of billionaire recluse Bruce Wayne. Where the Fuck has he been all of this time…..Who is his mother….What does this mean for Wayne Powers. I wanna know everything about this man. EVERYTHING! Where he lives…What's his favorite food…Who he's screwing...his whole freaking background…I want it…I want his story and I want it 30 minutes ago." Fredrick demanded.

"Chief I think we have better stories out there" said Veronica

"Like what Vale?"

"Like Batman" she replied.

Fredrick stared at her for a second before rubbing his stubbly face.

"Fine..I want both stories…..the first person to bring me a scoop on both of these guys….gets a 1,000 credit bonus….plus a paid vacation. "

"Now you're talking chief" Veronica replied leaning up in her seat.

"GET TO WORK!" Fredrick shouted.

* * *

**Bullpen**

Veronica stormed to her desk with the intentions of getting her purse and her keys, she wanted that bonus and that vacation but not only that she did find it a bit curious for Damian Wayne to just show up out of the blue one day.

'_Maybe there is a story here…..just who is Damian Wayne?'_ she thought to herself while reaching her desk '_I guess it's up to me to find out'_

Veronica grabbed her things and she turned around only to run into her friend, rival and sometimes partner Edward 'Eddie" Knox.

Eddie Knox was the same age as Veronica around his early to mid 30s, he brown hair cut into flattop hair style. He had fair skin, green eyes and a cleft chin. Knox was about 6'0 and was wearing a white shirt, red suspenders and brown pants.

"Going somewhere Veronica?" Knox asked.

"I'm going to get the story Eddie…do try to keep up."

"You'll never get that scoop before me" Knox challenged with a smirk.

"We'll see" she replied accepting the silent challenge.

"Care to make a wager?" he asked.

Veronica smirked and passed him.

"Terms" she said over her shoulder while briskly walking towards the elevator.

"If you get the scoop before me…I'll pay for another vacation on top of the one the chief is already offering, because you know his vacation is going to be on the cheap side." Knox said quickly while following behind her.

"And if you get the scoop before me?" she asked reaching the elevator and hitting the down button.

"You and I will go on a date….a real date."

Veronica turned to Eddie and she looked him in the eyes.

"Eddie, dating in the work place is never a good idea…something I keep telling you every time you ask me out on a date."

"That's why I'm resorting to making a bet. I'm letting fate decided." He replied smoothly.

**DING!** Went the sound of the elevator, Veronica bit her lip and stared into his green eyes. She took a step back and stepped onto the elevator.

"You're on Knox" she stated.

"Happy hunting" Knox replied just as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

**Wayne-Powers- 12:15pm **

**Paxton Powers**, the son of Derek Powers stepped through the doors of Wayne Powers and the first thing he saw was the front lobby that was under construction. He looked at the damage briefly but then strolled passed all of the workers and people, he had better things to do than to stand around and gawk.

Paxton was every bit his father's son, he looked just like him. He was 26 years old stood at 6'0, with green eyes, tan skin, a clean shaven face and instead of his hair being a grayish-white he had jet black hair. He had a lean athletic build that was accentuated by the form fitting Italian blue suit on his body.

Paxton strode towards the elevator and he pressed the up button. The elevator arrived and he quickly stepped on and he pressed a button.

* * *

The elevator doors closed and Paxton looked at himself in the doors reflection and he let a scowl grace his handsome face.

"I bet he doesn't even know what I've been up to these past 8 years….probably doesn't even care, prick" Paxton said to himself in regards in to his father Derek Powers, whom he hated with a passion, "Does he really expect me to sign the company over to him, Wayne-Powers…a multi-billion dollar company. HA! The old man must not be feeling well, because if he actually expects that then he's in for a rude awakening. This is my shot at being in control and I'll be damned if I'm going to give it up. Heh, patience…all it took was patience. I knew he would slip." Paxton said

**DING! **Went the sound of the elevator arriving on the specific floor, the floor of the company's attorney. He remembered the floor from the last time visited the Wayne-Powers building. Paxton stepped off of the elevator and he walked down the hallway and towards the door to the attorney's office.

* * *

**Attorney's Office**

"Darryl I'm ba….." Paxton started but stopped because he realized that their attorney: Darryl Hutchinson wasn't alone; there was another man in the room sitting in the chair in front of the attorney's desk. Paxton and the mystery man eyed each other before Darryl rose from his seat.

"Paxton?" the attorney questioned truly shocked to see the younger man.

"Yeah it's me" Paxton replied, "What's going on?"

"I was hoping your father would walk through that door."

"He called me to act as his proxy for the time being. He's sick or injured or something."

"Well I hope…he has a speedy recovery" Came the voice of the mystery man.

"Not too speedy" Paxton replied under his breath "I'm sorry I do not know who you are but my attorney and I have much to discuss so if you could please come back later" Paxton continued.

"Actually your business and my business coincide" The man replied standing up "Allow me to introduce myself…I'm Damian Wayne…the new Owner of Wayne-Powers…soon to be changed back into Wayne Enterprises."

"WHAT! You can't do that"

"Afraid I can" Damian replied "You see I read the old contract and it states whoever has the majority controlling shares of the company..…..well they can do whatever the hell they want and I for one never really liked the named Wayne-Powers….but Wayne Enterprises….has a certain ring to it"

"My father has the controlling shares of the company and he's a Partner" Paxton said in an angry tone, "And Bruce Wayne didn't have any heir's….you're some type of imposter…a grifter" Paxton accused. Damian stood up from his seat and walked towards Paxton and stood in front of him.

"I can assure you that Bruce Wayne is my father and Derek may have been Bruce's partner but he's no partner of mine and I know that your father had most of the controlling shares but you see….since my father died all of his shares went to me and in the past couple of days I've been buying up all of the controlling shares… through varies charities and so forth look kid…it's all a bit technical but perfectly legal. So go through it all you like and you tell your father that I'm looking forward to having a face to face with him." He said, "Good day gentlemen…I have a mansion to redecorate"

Damian swiftly exited the office leaving a fuming Paxton Powers in his wake.

* * *

**Nightfall- Edge of Neo-Gotham-Bar- 7:35pm **

"Reload" came the voice of a man in his late 50's possibly early 60s. He had gray hair, a wrinkled but still handsome face, blue eyes and a slim build. The old man was wearing a black suit but had the tie let down and undone.

The bar tender heard the order and he grabbed a container of whiskey and he walked over and filled the glass that was in front of the older man.

"Thanks" The old man said grabbing the shot of whiskey with a metal mechanical hand and then tossing it back in one gulp.

* * *

Brian Millwood entered the crowded bar and he looked around for a second, searching for a seat. His eyes landed upon the only open seat which was next to an old man in a black suit, releasing a tired sigh Brian walked over and sat down next to the man.

The bartender saw the new customer and he walked over to him.

"What will it be?" he asked.

"Whiskey" Brian stated.

The bartender nodded and produced a shot glass while grabbing a bottle; he poured the whisky into the shot and pushed it to Brian.

"Thanks" Brian said grabbing the whiskey and gulping down. Normal Brian wouldn't drink but considering the week he was having he was doing a lot of things he normally wouldn't do and he desperately needed something to fill the whole in his heart. Brian coughed a bit as the alcohol rolled down his throat and settled in his stomach.

"Smooth. Bar keep I'll have another" he called out.

"Rough day young man?" came a voice.

Brian turned to his left and his eyes locked with older man that was sitting next to him.

"Rough life" Brian replied right as the bartender walked back over and poured another shot in his glass. The old man raised his glass and the bartender poured him another shot as well.

"I can relate" the old man replied gulping his shot of whiskey.

"No. I don't think you can" Brian said as he too gulped his glass of whiskey.

"You'd be surprised. So, young man why are you here…shouldn't you be in the city or at school somewhere doing what people your age do? Enjoying your youth."

"I'm different from people my age…and I'm here because I'm looking for a new beginning."

"At the bottom of a whiskey glass?" The old man questioned "I can tell you now that you're off to a bad start."

Brian turned his head to his _'companion'_ of sorts and then he jerked his head in the direction of the man's glass.

"What about you…..why are you here and why are you staring at the bottom of a whiskey glass that looks just like mine?"

"I was supposed to be at a funeral today…but I just couldn't bring myself to go and before I knew it I found myself here."

"…I'm sorry for your loss"

"Yeah me too. Especially since I never got a chance to say good-bye…..or I'm sorry."

Brian looked at him and was about to say something when the doors where kicked open causing everyone to turn towards the entrance.

* * *

Four intimidating looking Jokerz enter the small bar and they each hand weapons in their hands. One had a gun, the other hand a club, another had a pipe and the last one had spiked brass knuckles.

"Everyone this is a robbery" The Joker with the gun stated in a low voice "Hand over all of your money and valuables and you'll live to see another day. If you don't well…." he trailed off.

* * *

Brian saw the Jokerz but he didn't see them he saw Terminal and he balled his fist in absolute anger at the sight of him and almost in a trance like state he rose up from his seat.

"Hey" the old man next to him said but his voice fell upon deaf ears as Brian walked towards the four Jokerz.

* * *

Brian walked towards the Joker with the gun, each stride with purpose. The Joker with the gun turned it on Brian but he ducked and then came up using his left hand grabbed the armed Joker's hand and then he came across with a hard right hook punch. Brian hopped to the side and kicked the Joker with the pipe in the knee cap popping it out of place and sending him to the ground in agony.

* * *

'_Those moves'_ thought the old man seeing Brian in action.

* * *

Brian hopped up again and drove his knee into the side of the Joker that was still holding the gun. He kneed him in the kidney and the sudden pain made him drop the gun and Brian kicked it across the floor. Brian heard a grunt and he flipped over a swing from the club and then rose up and wrapped his arm around his enemy's outstretched arms. He locked them tightly and then with a jerk upwards broke both of the man's arms.

"AHHH!" he Joker shouted in pain. Brian let him go and then grabbed him by the front of his clothes and brought him in for a hard head butt that knocked him down. Brian turned to the last Joker who held up his fists. The Joker reared his hand back and threw out a straight punch. Brian dropped down to the ground in a split and punched the Joker as hard as he could in the groin.

"GAH!" the Joker thug gasped in pained before dropping down to the ground. Brian rose up, he was breathing heavily and his fists were still clinched. He could hear the men on ground in agony and suddenly they shifted from being Terminal to being normal and regular thugs.

Brian's eyes widen at the sight of them and his breath quickened, he swallowed hard and he took off for the exit.

"HEY YOU DIDN'T PAY!" shouted the bartender.

* * *

**Outside the Bar**

Brian stepped outside and he greedily sucked in the fresh air. He lifted his head up to the sky and he took slow even breaths trying to calm his beating heart. He stood there for a good minute trying to get his adrenaline to calm down.

"I've got to get out of this city" he said to himself. Brian looked to the right and he ran to his motorcycle.

* * *

Brian hopped onto his bike and he tried to start up his bike but right before he turned it on he looked up to see the old man that he had been talking to standing right in front of his bike. Brian recoiled a bit at the sight of him….he didn't even hear him or see him leave the bar.

"Going somewhere kid" the man asked in a sight cheerful tone.

"Away from this fucking city." Brian replied quickly.

"Hmph" The old man grunted while shaking his head "You and I are more alike than you know. Those moves back there….where did you learn them."

"What is this 20 questions leave me alone" Brian snapped.

"The Huntress taught you those moves didn't she…or at least your style is based upon her style. Fierce and quick brutality."

Brian's eyes widen and he jumped off the bike and got into a fighting stance.

"Are you with the Knightbreed…..are you here to kill me?" Brian asked readying himself for a fight.

"Whoa…easy…easy there killer. I'm not here to fight…don't even think I could fight anymore without breaking a hip" he joked.

"Then what do you want?" Brian demanded

"To help you….I think you and I are kindred spirits"

"Kindred spirits?" Brian scoffed before shaking his head "...Who are you old man?"

"Where are my manners, my name is **Richard Grayson**…but most people call me **Dick**" the man said while walking forward and holding out his hand, "What's your name?"

Brian lowered his hands and relaxed, he didn't get an enemy vibe off the man in front of him. He looked at his friendly outstretched hand and slowly Brian walked forward and shook his hand.

"Brian Millwood."

"It's nice to meet you Brian."

"You said you wanted to help me"

"Well, inside you were talking about a new beginning…I think I can help with that" Dick said in a cheerful tone.

"How?"

"Tell me something Brian…..do you like the Circus?"

* * *

**Neo-Gotham- McGinnis Household- 8:30pm**

Terry McGinnis was sitting alone in his room and he was staring at the Bat-suit that was on the edge of his bed. The young hero let out a sigh of relief because he still couldn't believe that Damian had actually agreed to Bruce's final wish to see the two of them working together. He thought for sure that Damian would show up and take the suit away but he didn't, he said he was looking forward to working together. Terry smiled as the funeral replayed over in his mind and the _'official'_ meeting of Damian Wayne. He was a bit shocked when he decided to reveal himself but he knew that Damian was just like his father so that meant that it was some type of plan, most likely a plan to lure Derek Powers out of hiding. At the thought of Powers Terry sat up straight in his bed and then he scooted towards the edge and he grabbed the bat-suit.

He let his fingers dance across the material for a long minute and then he let his eyes fall unto the bat-symbol and his mind was brought to the message on the Bat-Computer that Bruce had left for him.

* * *

**Days Ago- Bat-Cave**

Terry stood in front of the bat-computer staring at his mentor Bruce Wayne. He shakily raised a hand and he hit the play button allowing the message to start playing.

* * *

**Bat-Computer**

"_Hello Terry, if you're watching this message then it means I'm dead. I didn't survive my battle with Powers. I expected something like this to happen…..I knew that I might die and I went anyway because I had to….I had to go and confront him, I know you might not understand why but perhaps one day you will. Now under no circumstances do I want you mourn my death. Do not mourn me…..mourning is pointless because no matter how much sadness you feel it won't bring me back, move on. Instead of mourning me I want you to remember what I stood for…..what we stand for and always remember what that symbol on your chest means and never be corrupted. Terry I want you to continue to be Batman….you've shown me that you have what it takes to continue the mission but I must ask though that if you continue… you have to continue with Damian. Terry I've shown you the basic of being Batman but…..you're still not ready. I wish that we had more time but life doesn't work on what we wish. I can not bring you to the level that you need to be…only Damian can do that. I've asked him to help and I hope that he says yes, but if he says no…then I'm going to ask you to give up being Batman. I know you're not going to want to do it but you won't survive. You're training isn't complete. The things that you've come up against are only the tip of the iceberg. Being Batman is a constant challenge and it will test your mind, body, and spirit and in order to pass each test you need the proper tools. Tools Damian can supply you with. However, the tool that's the most important is the tool that you already possess. The Will. You have the will to do the necessary work…..you have the will to seek out injustice and take it head on. I admire you Terry, I do…..never lose that will and always remember what you're fighting for. And I just have on last thing to say….and that's thank you…..for bringing me back. Good Luck and I'll always be watching" _

* * *

**Present- McGinnis Household **

Terry let a smile grace his lips a she thought back to the message.

'_Nicest thing he ever said to me…and you're welcome Bruce. Thanks for giving me a cause….and I'll never forget what I'm fighting for'_ he thought to himself while standing up from his bed. He lifted up the bat-suit and he continued to stare at the red symbol.

"MOM!"

"YES TERRY!" Mary McGinnis shouted back.

"I'M GOING OUT!"

* * *

**Wayne Manor- Bat-Cave**

Damian Wayne was typing into the bat-computer when he heard Yinn walking up behind him. He turned around to see Yinn carrying a tray with two cups of tea.

"Tea Master Wayne?"

"Thanks Yinn" he replied grabbing one of the cups and taking a sip.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm putting the final touches to my linking program"

"Linking program?"

"As of now Yinn all of our side projects are going to be run from here so I'm redirecting all of our hubs to send all the collected information back to the bat-computer….and finished." He stated.

They both looked up to see a map of the world on screen and several green dots traveling across the map and all the way to the Neo-Gotham spot on the map.

**DEET! DEET!**

"What is that?" Yinn asked.

Damian hit a button on the computer and a screen pulled up and Mayor Sam Young could be seen in front of a large crowd.

"The Mayor is giving a speech tonight on the state of things. It's only been a few days since the war broke out downtown and the convention center being blown up. He's just reassuring the public that things are back to normal."

"Well maybe not completely normal" Yinn replied with a smirk. Damian glanced at him with his own smirk.

"No, not completely"

* * *

**Neo-Gotham- Downtown- Mayor's Office**

Mayor Sam Young walked down the steps of the Mayor's Office and next to him was his wife Commissioner Barbara Gordon-Young. The two made their way to the podium and Sam glanced at her briefly before stepping towards the microphones. He eyed all of the reporters and cameras flashing for a minute before he began to speak.

"Good Evening Neo-Gotham City, as I'm sure many of you are wondering about the safety of this fair city that was being threatened just five days ago, and I know that many of you have never truly felt safe in Gotham but my fellow citizens listen to my words now, hear them and understand them. Gotham is safe. Yes, the unfortunate events that happened a few days ago was the culmination of several key events that were set in place by the Jokerz but thankfully our dedicated officers of the NGCPD put a stop to their plans. Terminal, the leader of the Jokerz has been killed and his Jokerz have been scattered. Everyday the police are rounding up more of the Jokerz so your fear of them Gotham City can be put to rest, as well as your fear of the Knightbreed and their brand of extreme justice. The Knightbreed and their leader has been chased away from these streets so no longer do you have to fear them…..

* * *

**Wayne Manor- Bat-Cave**

**DEEET! DEEET! DEEET! **Went a rapid sound. Damian tore his eyes away from the broadcast and he hit a green button.

"What is it Master Wayne?" Yinn asked.

"Trouble….I'm picking up a police scanner."

* * *

**Mayor's Office**

Commissioner Gordon was standing off to the side watching her husband give a very inspiring speech when she heard her police radio go off. She took a step back and grabbed her radio.

"This is Gordon" she responded in a hushed voice.

"Commissioner we have a hostage situation"

"Where?"

"The Neo-Gotham Gold reserve…just as the employees were getting ready to leave they were taken hostage and the man that's taken them hostage is going is going to detonate a bomb. How do you want us to handle this?"

"We received a letter from Batman today" Came Sam's voice. Commissioner Gordon turned her head to her husband and a smirk crossed her lips.

"Get Detective Bullock and tell her to go to the roof…."

* * *

**Podium**

"I know that many of you are a bit untrustworthy of this mysterious vigilante and I know that many of you consider him no better than the Knightbreed but Gotham….Batman is actually here to help. Since his return he has been helping the police to battle back the Jokerz and Knightbreed so you all have nothing to fear from him. The letter he wrote to us states this:

"_Please Inform the citizens of Neo-Gotham that they their safety is no longer an issue…..I've been gone a long time and in that time the criminals have forgotten what justice means…I have returned to remind them. No longer shall the weak be preyed upon in the dark. Whenever the forces of evil rise to cast a shadow over this city….….Call Me_."

"HOW DO WE CALL HIM!" a reporter shouted out.

Sam looked at the reporter and then turned to the right as Commissioner Gordon stepped into view. She leaned down towards one of the microphones and then looked at the reporter.

"We'll call him just like we used to…..with **the Signal**"

Suddenly a bright light shined in the sky over all of them. Everyone turned and looked upwards to see a Bat symbol high in the sky and they began to murmur in amazement.

* * *

All across Neo-Gotham City...the Bat-Signal could be seen. Flying cars came to halt and people poked their heads out of their cars and pointed. Children, Adults, Young people, Old People…..Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the signal in the sky staring at it in wonder and awe.

* * *

**Bat-Cave**

Damian looked at the Bat-Symbol on the screen and he let a small smile grace his lips.

"Hmph...Game On. McGinnis….McGinnis can you hear me?"

"Loud and Clear"

* * *

**Above Neo-Gotham**

Standing on the edge of one of the tallest buildings in the futuristic city of Neo-Gotham City was Terry McGinnis, he was dressed in his uniform but he had his mask off and grasped tightly in his hand. He too was staring upwards and at the symbol in the sky…the symbol that he wore across his chest…the symbol of the Batman.

"McGinnis….McGinnis can you hear me" came a voice. Terry lifted up his mask and then he put it over his head and at that moment he ceased to be Terry McGinnis and he became **Batman**.

"Loud and Clear" he answered.

"…..Do you see it?" Damian asked.

"I do…..and it's beautiful."

"They're calling you, your presence is needed."

"What's the situation?"

"The Neo-Gotham Gold Reserve is being held hostage by some guy who calls himself **Mad Stan…**he says he's going to blow up the reserve along with the people inside. Why don't you go check it out…show me what you got."

"I'm on my way."

Batman looked at the signal one more time before he jumped off the building, he spread his wings and curled his feet and rocketed off to the reserve…..prepared to save the day once again.

* * *

**END OF VOLUME 1: WHOOOOOO! WE DID IT! WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF BATMAN BEYOND VOLUME 1. It has been a long road and epic road but alas it has come to an end. I hope everyone enjoyed the Epilogue….better yet I hope everyone enjoyed the story. My version of the events based off of the AWESOME and KICK ASS show Batman Beyond. Only lasted for three seasons but it was one of the best animated programs ever produced and hopefully DC will recognize that and revive it or at least reboot it. Anyway, I hope that I've answered a lot of questions but at the same time sparked new ones for you readers to ponder about until the next volume. I wonder though how many of you can pick out the homage scenes and characters that came from Tim Burton's Batman….and yes Danny Elfman was playing in the background when I was typing this chapter….LOL. I hope this story has been as Epic as I promised it would be and a special and sincere Thank You goes out to all of you readers and reviewers for making this story one of the most reviewed in the Batman Beyond section of this great website. I THANK YOU ALL for that and I thank you all for sticking with me even though there was like a 6 month hiatus there…lol. Anyway again I hope you all enjoyed the story, my characters and my ideas. If anyone has any questions comments, rants, raves or anything in-between feel free to drop me a PM or leave it in the review, this is me….Nomad88 saying later…. **

**Batman Will Return. **


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